Shattered and Remade
by Gypsyn
Summary: Naraku's new demon wields the power to attack the soul directly. His target? Kagome. The attack leaves her barely alive and her soul shattered. Now the only way to save her is if Inuyasha agrees to share a bit of his soul and healing ability with her. But the spell is more binding than anyone anticipated and shows him more of his miko than he ever thought he'd see. (InuxKag)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and I am not making any money off this silly fanfiction. ~Gypsyn

chapter 1

 _'I have to hurry.'_

Inuyasha's pace was unmatched as he followed the faintest of scents through the woods. There was no footpath even though Inuyasha's prey and his precious cargo had kept as low to the ground as possible. The demon had only occasionally jumped from tree to tree, avoiding thorn bushes and questionably high grasses that would have captured more of its scent.

Inuyasha now followed those footsteps, careful not to let a single detail escape his nose or his eyes. High above him, he could hear the others trying to keep up. Sango and Miroku flew on Kirara's back searching from the skies. Shippo had branched off in bird form keeping a lookout. But now that they all knew he had the scent and was gaining at last, they stayed close. This hunt was coming to an end.

 _'I have to hurry.'_

When he had woken up at the crack of dawn this morning, nothing could have prepared him for the jarring discovery he was about to make. And that was, their group was short one miko.

 _'Huh. Hadn't she been up late last night studying?'_ he wondered when he first woke up, looking around and stretching. Strange she'd be up so early after a late night, But maybe she had just gone to get water or to use the bushes. However, when he jumped down from his branch and scrutinized her sleeping bag out of caution he noticed her scent was not as fresh as he expected it to be.

Shippo was still there undisturbed but Kagome had unmistakably been gone for most of the night. Maybe five or six hours. Which meant she'd gone to bed last night at around midnight... And then for some bizarre reason just got back up again and snuck out of camp. Why? They hadn't had any serious fights in ages and Kagome had only just gotten BACK from visiting her family two days ago. Usually, she waited at least a week or two before asking to go back.

Sneaking off he could see her doing, but only as an absolute last resort... And if she had indeed snuck away why hadn't he woken up like he usually did? Another thing that bothered him. She hadn't wandered around camp when she got up. there just seemed to be a straight trail towards the forest. She took nothing with her except the jewel shards. Even her shoes were right where she had left them at bed time. And that in and of itself was a huge red flag. She _never_ left camp without her shoes on.

Inuyasha walked to the edges of camp towards the forest trying to figure out which direction she had gone in. He followed her scent closely and then at the treeline... He found a faint scent that chilled him to the core. Naraku's scent. The second it registered exactly what that meant he lost it.

Everyone else in camp jerked awake violently as he called her name in a panicked voice and took to the trees to search for her.

"Kagome!?" "Kagome!" "KAGOME!"

Kagome had been missing most of the night. Taken into these deep woods for some unknown purpose. He had little and sometimes even no scent to follow. But whoever took her had underestimated his ability and his determination. So what if there was no scent? He could track for awhile without it.

The scent would backtrack a ways and converge on distraction scents? That might fool a dog but never a dog demon. Rivers and Thorns? No problem. Especially not while The thought of Kagome calling for him in fear drove him to the edge.

 _'I have to hurry.'_

She _had_ to be in trouble. Sure she had been kidnapped before, and sometimes she pulled her wild card powers out of the bag and astonished everyone... But judging from her scent at the base she'd most likely been gone for 6 hours. An enemy could do a lot in that time. This search had dragged it out to seven hours so far, And he knew better than to trust Kagome's life with her unstable miko powers. They weren't reliable.

The trail was getting stronger and with it came the familiar salty scent of tears and the bitter copper smell of blood. This was probably the area where she had woken up and struggled against her captor.

 _'Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay...'_ his brain chanted as he bolted forward.

He heard the others cry out in dismay up above him almost as though they were in pain. He feared that they'd already seen what he could smell.

More blood just up ahead.

As he jumped through the last of the brush into the clearing, his eyes grew wide with alarm and he slammed to a stop as fast as possible. When he did he looked up at a flickering opal wall of light that shifted between blue, pink and white in front of him. He stared at the light with surprise as it rippled.

 _'A barrier?'_

He focused beyond the wall of energy and the world stopped.

Red. Everything was painted dark red. And at the center of the barrier was the tiny crumpled form of a girl with black hair.

He stared at the scene with numb terror. Everything went silent.

Blood covered the clearing and her. It drenched her hair and her tattered clothes. It was splattered all over the trees and rocks and small pools of it were forming under her broken body. He couldn't see her face for the mess of tangled black hair. She was laying still on her side curled up tight around herself. Very still.

"Kagome?" he whispered, barely able to force the name from his lips at all. To his shock and surprise, the barrier flared brighter And dulled again, as if it was acknowledging him.

Hope flared to life inside of him.

"KAGOME!" he shouted now.

The barrier flared up even brighter at his voice. He felt something almost like heat pour off its surface and pulled away not daring to touch it just yet.

When the light died down again he took a moment to breathe and think, then he noticed something else.

The blood around him wasn't ALL Kagome's. It smelled like demon blood. Now that he thought about it, he realized he must have been truly panicked to have thought for even a second Kagome could have bled that much dead OR alive. He took a steadying breath through his mouth, trying to ignore the thick scent of blood for a moment. He took one more breath to calm himself and then let himself really smell what had happened.

Under the scent of blood, the more complex scents started to slowly come to him. First and foremost, he noticed Naraku's scent. Most likely from the blood of the demon who had taken her.

He looked around much more carefully now and realized there were shards of a broken sword embedded in the trees...bits of demon gore, bones, and pieces of samyosho all around the clearing as well.

Had Kagome..? He was in awe But at the same time... This newly found power was terrifying. He wasn't sure if it could understand that he was here to help. True he could have broken the barrier with his sword but... He was certain this was Kagome's barrier. And she was wounded. What would happen to her if he forced his way through? Maybe nothing. Or maybe it would weaken her even more. If he could avoid the sword, he wanted to.

But if it was Kagome's barrier then maybe...

He hesitantly reached out and pressed his claws against the barrier meeting a solid surface. When he felt no pain, his fingertips then his palm soon followed. A small relief filled him.

It was warm as flesh and solid as a brick wall. He pushed gently against it. But it didn't give in the slightest. Instead, he felt a faint probing energy spark beneath his fingertips and brush against his aura. He explored with his own aura testing the feel of the barrier.

The energy felt like Kagome's... Comforting and warm. And yet... Just behind the initial warmth was a strangely disjointed feeling. Like something was very very wrong. He looked down at her broken form on the ground. He already _knew_ something was wrong.

"Kagome I-It's me, Inuyasha. I-" He hesitated, his ears wilting in shame. He'd almost said 'I came to save you.' But that would be wrong. It was far too late to save Kagome. She was in a bloody heap on the ground. He had utterly failed her. She'd saved herself.

"I came to get you out of here," he amended, fighting his self-loathing and shame to the best of his ability. Even if he hadn't been able to save her she still needed him to get her somewhere safe. He could hate himself after she was better.

As if he had uttered some secret password, the barrier flickered brighter, almost blindingly so, and melted away before him. He carefully walked through what had been so solid just a second ago.

And then the real scent of her blood hit him hard.

"Kagome?!"

She made no response. Even when he hit the ground beside her and scooped her up in his arms. Her body was cold and limp. She was barely breathing.

He gritted his teeth and held her close as he leaped from the clearing. The others soon far behind him.

 _'I need to hurry...'_

(-)

"Inuyasha."

The half demon jerked himself from his memories and looked up to see Sango looming over him with a sympathetic expression.

"Inuyasha, Kaede-Obabba says she wants to talk to you now."

Inuyasha shook off the haunting memory. He couldn't think about that moment right now. He couldn't afford to be weak now when Kagome needed him most.

"Got it," he answered gruffly.


	2. Chapter 2

The distressed half-demon got up and walked around the corner just behind the slayer. As Kaede exited the hut Sango re-entered.

The old Priestess said a few passing words to her as she walked by, then turned her attention to Inuyasha. He walked forward. A knot of worry sat in his gut making him want to turn back and run away from the old woman and whatever news she had for him.

At the same time, he wanted to rush past her and sit at Kagome's side too. It wasn't fair that everyone else got to go see her while he had to sit outside like an ill-behaved child.

He stopped beside her, ignoring the knot in his stomach as it twisted.

"How bad is she?" Inuyasha asked solemnly.

The old woman sighed wearily. "Kagome-chan is in very serious condition. If she should by some miracle survive tonight I dare say she will likely be scarred for the rest of her life."

He flinched but tried not to think about it too deeply. Scarred was better than dead. Scarred was something people got past all the time. And who knew? Her time might be able to fix scars. They could fix just about anything else. And even If they couldn't fix it. He wouldn't let **anyone** make her feel ugly over a few scars. They'd cross that bridge when they got to it. But for now, they needed to focus on making sure she survived that long. Still, the knot twisted tighter.

He nodded stiffly for the priestess to continue, but she seemed to hesitate. Her expression shifted momentarily to pitying.

"And... she shows all the physical signs of having been tortured."

Inuyasha felt a terrible wave of anger, grief and guilt wash over him. _'This is all my fault,'_ whispered his mind in condemnation. _'If only I had made her stay in her own time back then... If only I had kept watch last night. If only I had woken up sooner...'_

"How bad?" he repeated in a tightly controlled voice.

The old woman sighed. "It appears that the demon used a knife on her. There are... many cuts on her. Some deep. Her chest and hips were the worst. But if that was all..." She took a deep breath. "On top of everything else Her soul has been shattered."

That really made him pause. "...What?" he managed, looking down at the old woman In disbelief.

"While I was treating her wounds, I felt that something was wrong with her on a deeper level. Something strange in her aura. I could only manage to peer into young Kagome's soul for a moment but, it looked akin to a shattered mirror."

 _'The weird feeling I got when I felt out her barrier.'_ he realized.

"As such, Miroku and I believe that this particular demon had the power to damage souls directly."

"But... Kagome's soul is so powerful," he protested weakly.

"Aye, and she proved that," Kaede conceded. "Reiki comes from the soul, but even after so much damage was done, she STILL had the strength to kill her attacker, AND put up a barrier. Before today I would have told ye such a feat was impossible."

Kaede's one good eye fixed on him seriously. "By all rights, we should be burying poor Kagome today. Her survival up to this point is nothing less than miraculous."

A horrible image welled up in his mind of laying Kagome down in a hole and having to leave her behind in it. Having to toss the dirt down on her as she laid there empty and cold. Or just as bad if not worse feeding her body to a fire. Having to smell it... He bit back a powerful urge to throw up. Both from the bleak diagnosis and the idea of putting his dearest friend to rest in such a way.

"She won't..! Right?!" Inuyasha demanded.

Kaede frowned deeply and looked back at the hut walls. Just beyond, she knew was the motionless body of Kagome laying on a spare cot. She thought of the girl as a granddaughter. She didn't want to face the truth on this either, but who else would if not her?

"...Right?" Inuyasha asked again.

He was scared. The elderly woman could hear it in his voice and see it on his face. "We have time yet," Kaede said softly.

She saw Inuyasha's eyes narrow in defiance even as he breathed out softly in relief.

Time truly was hope. And though Kagome only had a few hours left at most, she supposed they had gotten through much more seemingly hopeless situations.

"There is still one ray of hope for young Kagome."

"What do I have to do?" he asked, raising to his full height to stare at the old woman in determination.

"There is a spell I know of," she answered. "I don't know for certain that it will work, but Lord Miroku agrees that it at least holds promise. But If we were to try it, we would need your help."

"Anything," he replied.

She nodded toward the wooden door and he walked forward.

"So what do you need ME to do? Go get some ingredients for this spell?" he asked as he entered, rolling his shoulders as if preparing to throw a punch.

His gaze fixed on Kagome where she lay on her futon bandaged and covered with several blankets. Sango was sitting close by gathering up Kaede's healing supplies. Shippo and Kirara were not present. They'd been kept in Kaede's normal hut while Kagome was moved to this hut at the edge of the village. This place was used for more long-term patients and people with contagious illnesses. As far as he could tell the old priestess wanted to keep things quiet while they worked.

"No. The spell itself is very simple."

"Then..? What? Do you need me to hold her down or something?" he asked with a look of distaste. The idea of holding Kagome down while she struggled clearly did not appeal to him in the slightest.

"No. I need someone close to Kagome to form a connection between souls that can help mend it."

"I- What?!"

"I know well enough that ye heard me. Thine ears are not decoration."

"And you want _me_?! Nononono, what about Sango?" he asked, looking at the slayer a little desperately. She glanced back at him only briefly with a look of apology before turning back to her task.

"Neither Sango nor Miroku would have much success I'm afraid. We tested both already and she rejected them. Their souls are simply not close enough to hers to make the connection."

"Look I- if they couldn't do it what makes you think I can?! I can't make a connection like that!"

"Of course, ye can. And worry not. Miroku and I will maintain the spell."

"What-?"

The old woman sighed wearily. "Inuyasha ye know I wouldn't ask this unless it was Kagome's only hope."

Inuyasha winced, his ears pressing against his head.

"I just don't think I'm the right person to 'heal' someone's soul," he replied softly.

She smiled. "Young Kagome has already lowered her barrier for ye correct?"

He hesitantly nodded.

"It is my belief that such an act says everything there is to say about who is right to connect with her. The soul is a strange thing Inuyasha, and it will not allow just anyone in. Only an already powerful bond makes a connection such as this work." At his baffled expression, she managed to chuckle. "Think of it this way. This is simply another barrier. If she trusts ye she will let ye in."

"If you say so," he answered uncertainly.

"We're ready to start Keade-sama," Miroku interrupted.

"Aye, in a moment," she replied, glancing over her shoulder at the monk as he settled himself into a meditative pose. "So, are ye up to the task ahead?" she asked, looking back at Inuyasha

He nodded. "Yeah. If you say this is the only way then I believe you."

She gave him a comforting smile and nodded in return. "The spell is meant to give two souls a connection. If ye can maintain the connection for the entire night ye should be able to give her the power she needs to mend herself. But as far as I know it has never been done between a demon and a priestess, let alone with a half demon."

"Fair enough..." he sighed.

"Now, Inuyasha I need ye to lie down," she said, motioning with her head towards Kagome's sickbed. He shot the old woman a look of startled confusion.

"W-What?"

"All ye need do for us is sleep by Kagome and NOT wake up until the spell is complete."

A blush fought it's way to the surface and his mouth gaped a little in surprise.

"Go on now," she said unflinchingly. He shut his mouth at her tone and hesitantly walked toward the bed but didn't immediately do as he was told. The old miko took her own place on a well-worn cushion beside the girl. Kagome lay perfectly still. Her arms and her neck were the most visibly bandaged places He could see from her sickbed. The rest of her was covered by a thick blanket. But he'd seen the blood before and he doubted much else of her had escaped damage.

He could smell several different medicinal mixes on her. Some for deep bruises, others to keep wounds from getting infected, some for pain...

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome's unguarded face, feeling his cheeks get warmer and warmer as his so called friends nudged him towards her bed.

"You're SURE I have to SLEEP next to her to do this?"

"Time is SHORT," Kaede reminded him sternly.

"Then at least get THEM out of here so they won't fucking grin at me like that through the whole thing!" Inuyasha demanded, looking more pointedly toward the monk than the demon slayer.

Kaede turned and gave Sango a dismissive nod. The slayer nodded in return, flashing one last worried glance at their injured friend before gathering up the last of the supplies in a basket and leaving. As she walked out the door she put her hand on Inuyasha's shoulder gently and whispered "Good luck," before pushing aside the wooden door and leaving. Miroku however remained. A small bemused grin the likes of which Inuyasha had dreaded played across his features.

"Him too," Inuyasha growled.

"Kaede and I have to remain here until the connection is fully formed," Miroku explained reasonably, keeping the grin and raising an eyebrow at the outburst.

The half demon narrowed his eyes at his friend. "God damn it, _Fine._ But if I hear ONE word from you about this..."

Miroku raised a hand. "I swear I will not utter a single breath about this. Happy?"

Inuyasha growled again, if half-heartedly. He still felt flustered about the situation even _without_ two extra sets of eyes watching him curl up with Kagome on a tiny futon. But at least he knew Keade wouldn't tease him, and he could always kill Miroku later if he broke his word...

"Fine," he grumbled dejectedly. "The pervert can stay."

The monk nodded.

"Now be warned, I have heard strange tales about this spell."

"Like what?"

"I've heard that souls who connect this way May peer into each other's memories and dreams or fall into strange illusions of the heart."

"Then I could see some kind of weird dreams?" he asked a little incredulously.

"I think it very likely if the rumors are true. But if ye do see such visions, do not let them wake ye up early. Remember the longer ye stay asleep and let thine power go to Kagome-chan the better her chances. But If ye do not pass enough energy along she will die within a few hours." Kaede told Inuyasha. "So I will need ye to be as comfortable as possible. Whatever it takes ye to stay asleep. And worry not, thine friends shall be guarding ye two and there are protection spells in place."

Carefully he stretched himself out at Kagome's side with his back against the wall and pulled some of her covers over his waist. He looked up at Kaede expectantly.

"Now, close thine eyes and think of Kagome," she instructed seriously. "The trust ye have in each other, and the time ye have spent together. Anything ye find a good memory should help spark the connection needed."

Inuyasha did as he was told and closed his eyes. He pictured Kagome smiling at him. It was a pretty general picture of her. But he hated that Kaede and Miroku KNEW he was thinking of her. It bugged the hell out of him until it was getting harder and harder to think of even that one simple memory. At the back of his head, someone loomed over him very much aware of his thoughts.

"I need ye to relax as ye do this."

He flinched and silently let out a breath he didn't fully realize he had been holding. Taking a second breath, he sighed and told himself firmly that it didn't matter if others were watching him.

It was important that he do this **right** or he would never get to see Kagome again.

He leaned himself more against her battered body and obediently relaxed. It was just him and Kagome. Nothing else mattered. Timidly, he pressed his nose to her neck and it helped his concentration tremendously.

Slowly his thoughts turned to more pleasant memories. The smell of Kagome and grass on the summer nights she had sat with him and just talked about nothing. The way she would get angry or laugh. The times she had cried for him and praised him. Those were his favorite memories. Probably because when she treated him like her closest friend in the world... He felt like he had a place he finally belonged. It was a peaceful feeling. What would he do if he lost Kagome? How would he survive that? Somewhere deep down, he knew he wouldn't.

The strong smell of grass and forest was carried on a light breeze that pushed Kagome's scent in his direction. He inhaled it all deeply and turned to peer through the long grass where the young girl sat examining a white flower in her hands.

He crouched in the grass watching her silently. She either hadn't yet realized he was there, or she was too polite to call him out. Either way, he wasn't really sure he felt like talking just then anyways. He'd just wanted to see what she had been doing out here all by herself.

Abruptly the wind blew her flower away from her hands. She blinked in surprise and watched with a faraway expression as the blossom got smaller and smaller. He suddenly wondered if he should have caught it for her.

Even as he thought this, he looked away from the sky and back at Kagome.

staring back at him on the grassy hill was a girl Kagome's size in a long, white, many layered kimono wearing a mask that covered her eyes. Her long black hair was elegantly tied up with a silver hairpin inset with opals.

"K-Kagome?" he asked in a startled voice.

The woman tilted her head and smiled slightly. Whether it was a happy smile or a murderous one he couldn't tell with her mask in place.

Inuyasha frowned and approached cautiously.

"Hello, Inuyasha," she greeted in a voice that was so alike and yet so un-alike Kagome's that it left him confused. "I'm here to talk."


	3. Chapter 3

staring back at him sitting on the grassy hill was a girl Kagome's size in a long white kimono wearing a mask that covered her eyes. Her long black hair was elegantly tied up with a silver hairpin inset with opals.

"K-Kagome?" he asked in a startled voice.

The woman tilted her head and smiled slightly. Whether it was a happy smile or a murderous one he couldn't tell with her mask in place.

Inuyasha frowned and approached cautiously.

"Hello, Inuyasha," she greeted in a voice that was so alike and yet so un-alike Kagome's that it left him confused.

"I'm here to talk."

(-)

"...Who are you?"

This time, a soft laugh was heard. "I am nobody," she answered

"Then what do I call you?"

"I don't know."

He growled under his breath. "If you wanna talk then take off the mask," he demanded.

"I can't."

"You can't or you _won't_?"

"I can't," she repeated.

"Of course you can it's just a damn mask."

"You misunderstand me. I cannot take away the mask because to do so would confuse you."

Inuyasha watched the girl with an uncomfortable expression. This definitely wasn't Kagome. She just didn't talk like this...

The woman sighed.

"It is difficult to explain what I am in a way you could understand... But I suppose many would simply say that I am a soul."

Inuyasha's ears perked. "Kagome's soul?"

"Yes. That is the name of the girl I reside within at the moment."

He hesitated. He didn't know what to say to her. What to think...

"Are you like... the true form of Kagome and Kikyo both?"

The woman giggled and flashed him a smile. "In a way. Although to be honest I have very little of either Kagome or Kikyo within me at the moment. Most of Kikyou's part of soul wanders far from me and for the time being Kagome doesn't even realize that she ever existed. But I am made up of far more than the two girls you have already met."

"I am the sum of hundreds of lives. Made up of billions of memories. When I am reincarnated into a new child I allow that child to use my essence to survive. They may develop some of their predecessor's likenesses in face and spirit but they are each special. Their own unique person never to be born again. And I only truly awaken like this when that child someday dies. I do not get to experience their lives first hand. I am an energy more than a true being."

"Then!?"

"No, she is not dead. This is a special case."

"Kagome." She said the name wistfully. "She woke me up to defeat her foe, something none of my other incarnates could have possibly done. However, I suppose that's not too surprising. She was always a very strong-willed child. With the right motivation, she is quite capable of reaching her full potential. I lent her my power for just a moment, and I who have experienced the lives of hundreds of powerful fighters easily defeated our foe and put up a barrier for her. But it was too late. The damage to the soul... Specifically, the part that houses Kagome's heart was too broken for me to heal on my own. Right now she is in fragments and I cannot directly intervene."

The woman sighed. "She has been surviving off my power up until this point. But from this moment on, she in now reliant on the youkai **you** are giving her, and that has consequences. That's why I needed to talk to you. If you keep giving her your energy then part of that power will stay locked inside of her forever."

"I won't leave her to die," Inuyasha declared coldly. His eyes were sharp.

She seemed to give him a sympathetic look. "Inuyasha... There are fates much worse than death. After a certain point, it stops becoming about wanting to save Kagome and more about serving your own desires."

"How dare..."

"You want her to live. I understand!" she interrupted pleadingly. "But doesn't it matter what shape she's in? Are you going to tell me it is not selfish if It doesn't matter how little of her you can call back from the depths? Even a _scrap_ of a soul will do if that's what it takes to keep her body moving?"

He hesitated.

"You have already allowed Kikyou's ghost to carry on that way and we both know she is little less than a shadow of the woman she once was. Would you force that fate on Kagome as well? Is that not selfishness?"

"No. I just..." Inuyasha recoiled from the woman and looked at his own feet. He thought of all the times Kagome had held his hand and cried for him. All the times they had talked about nothing and argued and laughed... He thought about the last time he'd seen her awake. She had told him goodnight and curled up with Shippo in her sleeping bag and then she fallen asleep. Completely oblivious to what was about to happen to her. The torture. Her soul breaking, coming this close to dying... She had gone to sleep that night believing that he would protect her. And he had failed.

"I can't just let go of her. If it's a choice between leaving her to die or forcing her to suffer... I'd almost rather..." He cut himself off. The words _'I'd rather stay here.'_ echoed in his head. If this was the closest he would ever get to be with Kagome again...

"Just... What are you saying I should I do..?" he asked after a moment.

"...Going on _could_ bring Kagome suffering. That's true. But It's also entirely possible that everything will work out. But only if you make a promise and keep it."

He looked up hopefully. "What promise?"

"If you want to bring Kagome back you have to promise to stay with her for the rest of your life. If that is impossible for you then turn back now and let Kagome die."

He stared at her confused and angry. "Explain." he snapped.

"You are even now giving Kagome some of your youkai, and that is a potent power. Your demonic energy is so strong that even _you_ can become a full demon just by letting yourself _go_. And you are GIVING some of that energy to a young _untrained_ priestess with tremendous power by her own right. You are feeding a human body a dangerous cocktail. But that's not the truly worrying part."

"What is?"

"The part that worries **me** is that This soul was already deeply wounded by Kikyou's resurrection before this instance, and now with Your soul filling in the gaps it has a rather large cache to pour all that extra power into."

"...What would happen to her?"

"Your youkai is helping to keep her alive. But her body or mind may reject your demon later and tear itself apart trying to push against it when her own power returns. However, To make a connection between souls in the first place your energies would have to be _fairly_ compatible so it's unlikely that such a thing would happen. But it is still a possibility that needs to be considered."

"More likely, she will adapt, and your youki and her reiki will find some sort of balance."

He must have looked confused because she sighed and changed her approach.

"Think of it like this, you have a broken cup."

From nowhere she summoned a gray sake cup that lingered in the air above her fingers for a moment and then fell apart into her hand.

"And You try to fix the cup by gluing it back together with more clay." She lightly tossed the pieces up in the air and he watched mesmerized as they drifted towards each other. A red clay was added in between each shard right before his eyes and the pieces mashed themselves together leaving behind only thin red cracks where the pieces had been fused.

"That's what the spell you're using is _meant_ to do with your souls."

She turned the cup with a flick of her wrist and revealed a large hole where a shard was missing.

"But you are missing some." She snapped her fingers and he watched as the red clay filled the gap between the gray pieces completing the cup. It disappeared.

Before he could really recover from her demonstration she was already speaking again.

"It should only come as common sense that if such a large part of the soul is a demon's, it would be turning her at least partially demon as well."

He suddenly felt woozy.

"What?" he asked breathlessly. "How is that... Even possible?"

"Demons are beings of energy more than flesh and blood. And that energy is renewable. It's why they can change their form, draw upon that energy in combat and do so many other amazing things. Your youkai is your demon's essence and And your soul is the purest aspect of that essence. If you give even a third your soul to another being it should come as no surprise that they would start to change."

"Into a half demon?" he asked perplexed.

"Perhaps. I don't think we could really say ahead of time just how demonic she would become. She might just get your healing ability or she might end up getting every demonic feature that you yourself possess."

"But that's not possible," he protested.

"Onigumo managed it in his own way. It just wasn't as clean."

Inuyasha shut his mouth quickly and looked away. Comparing Kagome to Naraku felt... Sick.

"When it comes down to it. Kagome will likely either become a partial demon or she will die. And that decision is entirely up to you."

She looked at him silently now. And even though he couldn't see her eyes he had a feeling it was a gauging look.

It was chilling to hear... Chilling to think, he had to let Kagome die. Bury her... Or force her to live on as a half demon belittled and rejected at every turn.

But...

 _"I love you as a half demon Inuyasha!"_ echoed Kagome's voice in his head. _'Could she really hate me if I turned her half demon too?'_ he wondered.

"Can you tell me what Kagome would think about all this?" he asked hopefully.

To his disappointment, she shook her head. "Kagome's consciousness does not exist at the moment. I can only give you _my_ opinion." The woman answered. " I think that she wouldn't want to die but she wouldn't want you to save her just so she could live alone either. If you save her she's going to need you."

"Alone?"

"If you follow through with your promise to Kikyo's specter after bringing Kagome back then she will be left alone once everyone she knows and loves dies of old age. And you know what that's like better than anyone."

"..."

"I had to tell you all the risks before you move on. You needed to be able to make an informed decision."

"...I understand," he answered slowly. His stomach turned. Kill her or ostracize her. What a _terrible_ decision.

"You haven't yet reached the point of no return, there's still time to think about it. If you want to appease Kikyo's estranged ghost and don't want to end up stuck with Kagome for a _very_ long lifetime, then wake up soon."

He nodded solemnly.

"But if you decide to keep going all you have to do is just stay in the dream as long as possible. The more you dig into her heart and her memories the firmer your soul's grasp on her will become." She gave him another smile. "And If you _do_ change her It would be best to perform a mating ritual as soon as your both back up to full strength."

Inuyasha's face flushed bright red. "WHAT?"

"Don't be a child," the woman laughed lightly. "What do you think a promise like that means? She'd be reliant on YOU for the rest of her life. She wouldn't GET to marry anyone else. Her new demonic qualities and her bond with you would likely shut that door behind her forever."

"I-I just... Why immediately?"

"Well other than the fact that she would bear your mark and it would be a binding even the thick-headed _Kouga_ could understand..?" she teased.

Inuyasha allowed a small smirk at that. That part of it would be gratifying indeed. _'Well that and everything else that comes with mating Kagome...'_ he thought, fighting down a returning blush.

It wasn't like the idea didn't highly appeal to him. But two things had always gotten the way of taking that particular fantasy seriously. One was, of course, Kikyo. Two: he was certain that if he had ever asked Kagome to be his mate it would have ended terribly. She had her own world to go back to someday. Or at least... She used to.

Inuyasha's new found companion crossed her arms and tilted her head with a more serious look.

"I'm not entirely certain what would happen if you just leave things be. I know your remaining soul would regenerate fairly easily since you use that part of yourself to fight and don't have an issue with it. And the portion of soul you give to Kagome will likely continue to fill in the gaps... but the question is, what happens when there are no gaps left? I suspect that If you never reconnect with her and simply let your yaokai go unchecked inside her it might start to take over the rest of her soul 'me' and turn this into a full blown possession. She could lose her humanity like you do sometimes and turn on all of you. And once that starts I don't know of any way to reverse it other than an exorcism and that might kill her if the soul is still relying on your youkai to hold it together."

He shuddered at the thought of Kagome being forced into the demon state he so hated.

"I get it."

"In that case, becoming her mate would give you a better connection to her soul and in theory, it would stop the transformation. It should also give you both the chance to reconnect and equalize your energies. And I know for a _fact_ that mating with her after this would make you far more resistant if not immune to spiritual attacks. So you'd be getting a few perks from this as well Inuyasha."

He snorted. "Not like I care. Kagome's what's important here."

She nodded with a smile. "Of course."

He looked back out at the night sky. Stars gleamed down at them from a dark blue sky. the breeze rustled his hair. It all felt so _real_.

"...I'm going on," he informed her decisively.

The woman nodded and bowed gracefully. "Thank you for listening to me Inuyasha."

"Thanks For explaining all this... I guess." And then a thought occurred to him. "Can you tell me one more thing?" he asked.

She nodded.

"You said before... There's a little of her left here... Can you tell me how Kikyo would feel about all this?" His ears pressed to his head. "Does she hate me?"

There was a long pause.

"Inuyasha... I don't _hate_ you," replied Kikyou's voice softly.

He looked back with wide eyes. The woman in the mask smiled. But this time, he knew it was a sad smile. His breath caught in his throat.

"If I had ever truly hated you then I wouldn't have sent you Kagome."

And with that, she was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

As Inuyasha came back to his senses, he shook his head as if to clear his mind further then looked around. He was in a dark empty place and all around him were little shards of light. They floated quietly in the void, each one the shape of something broken. Like shards of a mirror.

Kaede's words came back to him as he looked around now. " _I could only manage to peer into Kagome's soul for a moment but, it looked akin to a shattered mirror."_

He didn't know what he had expected when Kaede told him he would be peering into Kagome's soul. But this wasn't it. Inside of Kagome's soul... He'd have expected flowers and rainbows and sunshine. Anything cheerful and bright and beautiful. Not this dark lonely place.

" _For the time being Kagome doesn't even realize that she ever existed..._ "

Inuyasha lowered his head.

This was really all that was left of her? A few little lights floating in the darkness? And right now... She didn't even _remember_? That thought was sad to the core.

"Kagome!" he shouted at the top of his voice, hoping against hope that she could hear him. His own voice echoed back a few times, but then only silence followed.

Slowly, he walked forward into the darkness until his way was blocked by one of the tiny white lights. Cautiously, he reached out his hand and let the shard of light hover over it. He leaned in, looking closer and realized he could see images inside of the light. There was a group of children circling A girl who sat covering her eyes. And then the image flashed and changed. The children were talking... Now the girl was hiding her face in her knees beneath a tree. She looked like she was crying.

Was this... A memory?

He touched the light and instantly he was no longer in the darkness.

Inuyasha turned, startled to see the children from the image before circling a little girl and chanting. Nothing really existed beyond the circle. There were vague impressions of trees and the small plastic and metal structures he recognized from the 'playgrounds' from her world. But other than that, everything was a blank.

 _"Kagome, Kagome the bird in the cage,_

 _when will you come out?_

 _On the evening of the dawn,_

 _the crane and turtle slipped._

 _Who stands right behind you now?"_

They repeated the verses once more. And while he watched quizzically, he moved to stand directly in front of the girl at the center.

 _"Kagome, Kagome the bird in the cage,_

 _when will you come out?_

 _On the evening of the dawn,_

 _the crane and turtle slipped._

 _Who stands right behind you **now**?"_

The children all stopped to look at the girl in the center expectantly.

"Shion," declared the little girl at the center of the circle dejectedly.

There was a general sound of upset from all the assembled children. "She did it AGAIN," one of the girls cried, looking frustrated.

Inuyasha blinked in confusion. _'Again?'_

"You sure you're not cheating Higurashi?" asked a boy to his right.

The little girl at the center of the circle slowly lowered her hands from her eyes and looked up at the other children's accusing and dissatisfied faces.

Inuyasha knew in an instant he was looking at Kagome. Her face was rounder and less defined in her young age. But Her eyes were the exact same clear blue. Inuyasha would know those eyes anywhere.

"I already told you, I didn't cheat," she replied pleadingly. "I-I just _knew_."

"But that's impossible!" one of the other boys snapped. The young miko flinched.

"Twelve times and you never once got it wrong. You HAVE to be cheating!"

"I'm not!" Kagome protested.

"Hey, let's do it again this time without the song," reasoned a brown haired boy from her right.

"When we stop walking call out who you think is behind you okay Kagome?"

She gave an expression of doubt, but lowered her head and nodded, covering her eyes again.

This time, the children circled the girl silently. When they stopped he heard Kagome hesitate. "Ky-" she started to say but she cut herself off. With a look of frustration and almost pain, she instead said "Naomi."

The reaction was instant.

"I don't care what anyone says! She's cheating!" snapped one of the girls at Kagome's left. In her anger, the child kicked some dirt on the young miko who flinched away and fell backward. She made a soft cry of pain and looked up at the others fearfully.

"Little brat!" Inuyasha snarled loudly at the girl who had struck out against Kagome. None of the children paid him any mind. They couldn't hear him.

"I'm not! I swear!" Kagome pled tearfully.

"This is so weird, let's try it again," another boy said.

"No! I don't want to play anymore," Kagome cried miserably. Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh come on just once more."

"No! I already won a whole bunch of times. Please, its someone else's turn!"

"Then just tell us your trick."

"I don't have a trick! I-It just HAPPENS!"

"But that's impossible!"

With a look of desperation, Kagome stood up and tried to push her way between the other children but they just closed the circle up tight around her.

She looked around at the circle of her peers, clutching the front of her little dress in fright.

"Let me go! I-I don't want to play anymore!" Kagome Demanded with angry and frightened tears threatening to spill over at any second.

"Fine, I don't want to be around a freak like that anyway!" declared the girl on the other side of the circle who had first called her a liar.

He watched the other children hesitantly release her from the circle. As Kagome ran away they stayed there whispering to each other.

"I told you she was weird." "No way I'm playing with her again..."

Inuyasha shot the children looks of venom and followed after the girl.

Kagome, in turn, ran into a wooded area. once she was safely out of sight she curled up at the base of a tree and cried into her knees.

Inuyasha knelt in front of the tiny version of Kagome with his heart-wrenching in his chest. She was sobbing, But before he could do anything, the memory went dark. Once it disappeared he noticed he was back in the dark with the little lights.

He slowly stood back up again. Now more than ever he felt like an intruder in Kagome's mind. He knew without a doubt he was seeing parts of her not meant for anyone to ever see. But... at least it was just him seeing this.

If anyone knew how to keep a secret he did. But even with the comfort of promising himself that he would never ever tell a soul about what he saw here and the knowledge that he was saving her life by being here, it still felt wrong, witnessing her vulnerable moments like this.

Some of His own moments of weakness and humiliation may or may not have been worse by someone else's standards. But at the very least they should both have had a right to keep them locked away from prying eyes.

He trudged on past more lights. Now knowing they were, in fact, Kagome's memories. He looked at them all carefully. A little hesitant to reach out and touch any more of them. He walked past a light where he could make out a tiny two-year-old version of the girl holding a teddy bear running clumsily past what looked like the god tree. He smiled softly in response. She really was a cute little kid. Who knew someday she would turn into such a firecracker? He could see glimpses of a time she had fallen and cut her knee. Her calls for her mother faint in his ears as the memory brushed past.

He put his clawed hand out tentatively to feel as they brushed past. He could see all the times she laughed or had been hurt. He had never felt so close to anyone before.

He felt the thrill of triumph rush over him and briefly saw her at ten or eleven years old, precariously riding a little bicycle and laughing. He was happy to find out more about Kagome, even if he wasn't supposed to see this. He'd never really thought of how little he knew about her...

He brushed by a memory where she was sitting in the roots of the god tree and staring up at the night sky all alone. She only looked a little younger than when he'd first met her. A feeling of foreign loneliness washed over him.

She never really talked about her childhood. None of them did. Why drag all that crap out in the open and just make everyone upset? Everyone in their group was an orphan except her. It figured she wouldn't bring things like this up. She was like that. She always wanted to protect everyone but herself.

He approached a light that shone a little brighter than the others and felt the heat of a campfire warm him. Inside he saw Kagome and himself sitting very close together by the fire with his fire rat robe wrapped around them. The memory felt happy and peaceful. Honestly, he focused on it a little longer than he'd expected to.

Next, he brushed the tips of his claws across a little light and feelings of confusion and fear washed over him. He yanked his hand back from the light before it threatened to take hold of him. The memory hung in place as though surprised by the touch. He saw a very young Kagome hiding on a staircase and her mother sitting in a room with two uniformed men flash within. Curiosity overtook him as he reached for the memory again.

Looking around he realized he was standing in a living room a lot like the one in Kagome's house. But... It wasn't the same place. the furniture looked like their's but the house was different. Not far away from him, a very little Kagome stood on a set of stairs hiding around the corner from the room where the three other humans where. Mrs. Higurashi to his surprise was extremely pregnant, Probably with Kagome's little brother Souta. Her hand rested on her belly protectively as She sat in a chair looking at two men in strange uniforms. They seemed to loom over her with pained expressions.

The little girl was watching the proceedings with a look of confusion. Inuyasha approached her side instantly dropping down next to her to watch. She looked to be about four.

"Accident?" she murmured to herself in confusion.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Higurashi I know this is a shock, but we need you to identify the remains." One of the men told her mother gently. "There's always a chance that we could be wrong but we need your confirmation."

The woman nodded shakily. "O-of c- course."

"Mommy?" Kagome questioned quietly as she watched her mother get up and follow the two men to the door.

 _'Who's remains?'_ Inuyasha wondered with a feeling of dread. _'Her father's?'_

The woman left the house with the two men and The little girl slowly came out of hiding. The house was completely quiet. She stood all alone in the living room, staring at the door with wide frightened eyes.

She looked at the clock.

"Daddy comes home when the short hand is on the seven," the small girl murmured to herself, giving the clock a hard look.

Inuyasha looked too. The short hand of the clock was dangerously close to the seven already. He looked back at the little girl with his feeling of dread rising.

Kagome looked at the door worriedly then back to the clock. Then she sat down at the foot of the stairs and waited with her head in her hands.

Seven came and went but Kagome didn't move. After about an hour of mind numbing silence and anxious glances at the door, (at least according to the clock) It swung open and Mrs. Higurashi stumbled into the living room.

Kagome instantly leaped up. Her expression flashing from happy to disappointed in a heartbeat. She ran to her mother and tugged at her dress.

"Mommy! Mommy! It's past the seven! Where's Daddy!?"

Mrs. Higurashi looked down on her daughter. Her face was tearstained and her hair was disheveled. She had obviously been crying.

"Oh, baby..." The woman cried softly. She eased herself carefully to her knees and scooped Kagome up in her arms.

Kagome made a sound of surprise and tried to push away as her mother wept.

"Where's Daddy!?" Kagome asked again. Her tiny voice pitched into panic now.

"I'm sorry Kagome... Daddy's gone."

Her eyes widened. Confusion settled over the memory like a thick fog. It felt like something impossible and horrible had happened.

"Gone?" the little girl parroted back with a heartbroken and befuddled expression.

"He can't... He promised to read to me tonight! Daddy would never break his promise!" she argued.

Tears streamed down Mrs. Higurashi's face she looked down at her daughter with an expression of agony.

"I'm so sorry baby... You know Daddy would _never_ break a promise to you if he could help it."

"Daddy would never ever break a promise, no matter what happened!" Kagome argued mutinously.

"Baby... He was in a train accident."

Inuyasha's eyes widened.

A train. One of those big metal carriages that zoomed along the tracks. The thing Kagome got on all the time in her world...

An image can to his mind of seeing Kagome walk toward the open door of the train with her back turned to him. The smell of oil and humans and metal. The clicking sound as the door shut behind her.

A chill swept through him.

How the hell could she get on one of those things after what had happened to her father?! How could she look him in the eye and say she was safe in that thing?

"You're lying!" Kagome cried furiously, ripping herself away from her mother and running out the door.

He watched the little girl run all the way to the gate of the strange house then sit down as if to wait.

Inside, poor Mrs. Higurashi sobbed, struggling to pull herself up to her feet and go after her daughter.

Just when Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to watch anymore, he found the memory seemed to be finished playing out anyway. It faded away from him just as the others had.

Once again he found himself in the dark. He stepped back dazedly. His foot met with water surprising him. He looked around, His mind reeling. ' _There hadn't been water here before had there? And What had happened after all that? Was that when her family moved to the shrine?'_ He took another step backward and he stepped onto dry ground again. _'Did Kagome remember all this?_ '

She'd told him before that she didn't remember her father. Had she told him the truth? Or had she been holding back then so he wouldn't feel sorry for her? Or..?

"Higurashi, stay behind please," came a formal man's voice from behind him.

Inuyasha jumped badly and looked around. He saw what he recognized as Kagome's classroom. The desks and other humans her age gave it away. An older balding man probably in his forties and wearing a brown 'suit' stood directly behind him at the front of the class.

 _'I must'a walked right into another memory,'_ he thought to himself ruefully.

Kagome was looking up from her papers to the man in surprise while her fellow students filed out of the room, giggling and chatting as they went. She was the age he knew her as, wearing her familiar uniform and looking a bit tired. The image of her brought on a pang of longing to speak to her again.

"Soon," he promised himself.

"Wonder what she did," he heard some students say quietly as they left. Apparently, Kagome heard it too. Her eyes hardened as she gathered up her things and approached the teacher's desk. When everyone else had gone and the door clicked behind them the two stood in silence for a moment. Inuyasha walked from behind the desk to go stand beside Kagome.

"...I've noticed the tan," the man said, smiling slightly.

Kagome flinched and looked in Inuyasha's direction at the floor with wide frantic eyes. He looked at her confused. _'What was **that** supposed to mean?'_ He looked back at the teacher.

"You know we teachers aren't as stupid as you take us for," the man stated calmly. "Leukemia? Down syndrome? Smallpox? You realize the excuses just keep getting worse and worse."

Kagome squirmed slightly under the teacher's harsh gaze and Inuyasha's skin prickled in annoyance. "You know you can't pass on just a few odd tests here and there," he continued. "Skipping classes like some punk is just going to land you in the whore house or on the streets."

Inuyasha may not have completely understood what leukemia or down syndrome meant, but he sure as fuck understood THIS remark and he was taken aback. _'What the HELL?'_ Why did it seem like everyone in this time wanted to pick on Kagome?

"Or is that what you want Higurashi?" the teacher drawled out with a voice of repugnant self-satisfaction.

"No," the girl snapped back softly.

"You could have fooled me," the man replied. "Is this any way to honor your family? Your _shrine_? Running around doing Kami knows what while you should be studying? Preparing to get a real job? What, are you going to rely on your family for the rest of your life?"

"No," she whispered quickly. "I-I've been really trying to catch up sensei."

"It's some boy isn't it?"

Kagome flinched ever so slightly.

"No. Sensei, it's not."

"I saw you with him about two weeks ago." The man smiled. "Long white hair huh?"

Inuyasha felt his insides freeze. They were talking about HIM. He looked back at Kagome helplessly, not knowing how she would react.

At the mention of his hair color, Kagome's head whipped back toward her teacher to stare frozen.

"Who knew such a sweet shrine maiden like you would go for that kind of delinquent."

Inuyasha growled in anger. _'How DARE he?!'_

Her expression hardened to anger and she straightened up. "Don't talk about things you know _nothing_ about," Kagome said in a surprisingly cold voice.

"Oh I know all about WHORES and PUNKS, and I'm pretty sure everyone else will have learned a thing or two about them before the week is out."

The Miko looked at this human with an expression of horror. Her eyes couldn't have been wider if he had slapped her. But it didn't last long. Her expression quickly shifted into a look Inuyasha hoped never to see her show him, disgust.

"As your sensei, I'm telling you now, you're wasting your life on a boy that probably won't even remember your name by this time next year and even if your family feels fit to cover for your constant absences... Well, I have to intercede."

Kagome stared down at the floor with her hands clenched tight.

Inuyasha felt such fury in him he thought he would choke on it. He looked from the humiliated girl to the smug bastard leaning against the table and snarled, leaping at him, hoping to get just ONE punch in. To his disappointment, his fist went right through the man's face like a rock through mist. Inuyasha felt a sickening sort of hate bubble up inside of him. This human had Kagome under his thumb with no help coming and he hated it.

"Me? Forget Kagome in a year? NEVER," he snarled.

"I have a feeling that two days detention as a warning might give you some time to reflect on your choices Miss. Higurashi," the man sneered.

Kagome just stood there in front of her sensei staring at the floor with her fists clenched.

"Yes, Sir," Kagome responded in a strange tone. One he had never heard from her before, but recognized anywhere. Unwilling submission as she fought to control herself.

The man leaned forward from his desk and walked towards Kagome with a deliberate ease until he stood right in front of her. Inuyasha was so furious he was shaking, alarm bells were starting to go off in his head. His teeth were on edge, the hair at the back of his neck bristled. His growls were becoming more and more feral by the instant. The man leaned forward until his face hovered just in front of Kagome's.

"Also, I'm planning on telling the other teachers of your... "fun" outside of school," Kagome's face twitched in anger but fell back to a more neutral expression. She did, however, lean away from him. She too seemed to feel uneasy about the situation though she seemed to be hiding it better.

"Tell them not to go so easy on you. Unless you had anything to... 'say' to me on the matter?" At this, he crossed the line and reached up to cup Kagome's cheek in his hand.

Inuyasha let out a roar of rage the second the man's disgusting fingertips met with Kagome's face.

By comparison, the girl's reaction time was sluggish as she dropped her bag in surprise and violently flinched, pushing his hand away and backing up.

"A-Are you coming onto me?" she asked in clear horror and disgust.

"Perhaps," the man answered, smirking at her. "You are a very beautiful girl Kagome. Besides, If you're going to be a little whore now you might as well set yourself up so you won't have to be a whore later."

Inuyasha felt the hatred burning in his gut. How DARE this arrogant human?! He had fucking repeatedly called the purest person he knew, a WHORE to her face and then tried to blackmail her into... Into... He let out a snarl just thinking about it.

"Touch her, and I'll rip out your stomach you **bastard**!" he roared at the man. But of course, the human didn't react. He was just smiling down at HIS Kagome like he'd already won some twisted prize.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, snarling as he memorized this man's features for when he got back to Kagome's time. Oh, he might not have been able to save Kagome from her father's death. But he sure as hell could do something about THIS disgusting man And he would, OH he would.

Then he suddenly had a frightening thought. This was a memory, What If Kagome had bowed to this human's demands? Just how important was Kagome's schooling to her? He watched the girl with concern. But his momentary worry was unfounded.

"I'm not a whore Mr. Koriama," Kagome ground out angrily.

Pride surged through Inuyasha's veins.

The man chuckled. "Whether you say you are or not, If you go against me now your future is looking pretty bleak." The man started to close in on Kagome again and she responded by backing away carefully, The way she might stand in preparation for a fight. Her eyes locked disdainfully on the man. He paused and looked back at her with a dark smirk.

Inuyasha felt a crawling sensation in his skin just looking at it. And despite Kagome's obvious refusal A new terror crept into his heart.

"So that's your decision Higurashi?" The man asked.

"Yes." She answered firmly.

The man stood perfectly still, staring at Kagome with the same expression of dark enjoyment. Then to Inuyasha's rage and horror, he leapt at her.


	5. Chapter 5

"So that's your decision Higurashi?" the man asked.

"Yes," she answered firmly.

The man stood perfectly still, staring at Kagome with the same expression of dark enjoyment. Then to Inuyasha's rage and horror, he leapt at her.

(-)

Kagome looked startled but managed to dart under his arm and grabbed a desk, shoving it between the two of them. The man turned with an expression of rage, stumbling into the desk and reaching over it grabbing at her.

Inuyasha felt his heart in his throat as he saw the man latch onto the red scarf of her uniform and yank it forward, pulling Kagome towards him roughly. She twisted, pushing against the desk, trying to pull away and let out a strangled cry as the cloth tightened around her neck. The man smiled and pulled harder. In return, she defiantly drew back her right hand and slapped him with everything she had, leaving four long bloody scratches across his face with her nails. The man let out a cry of pain and loosened his grip on one of the ends of her scarf for a fraction of a second in his moment of shock. The miko ripped herself away from the man with a desperate gasp, stumbling against a chair and grabbing hold of it with one hand to steady herself and holding her neck with the other, heaving for air. She'd left behind the scarf in his grubby hand. She quickly regained herself just as the man started trying to reach over the desk toward her again.

A flicker of anger flashed across her face and she kicked the desk between them at his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and shoving him back against another desk with a clatter. This seemed to stun the man and he looked at her in a daze.

She Backed away, still breathing hard, clutching her neck. Then she stumbled and bumped against a window. Glancing back with a sudden look of fear, she seemed to realize she was trapped. She looked back at her attacker and stood there panting lightly.

She may have gotten stronger from her time in his world but she was no brawler. If this guy really got a hold of her it might be over. Inuyasha knew that, and so did she.

The man glared at her menacingly. "How dare you, you little bitch!" he snapped under his breath.

Kagome's frightened expression shifted back to a glare as she looked back at her opponent and slowly edged her way across the wall toward the door.

He shoved the desk away and tried to charge her again. But it was too late. This time, Kagome was ready. She grabbed a chair, picked it up and swung with a sound of exertion. It hit the man square in the side of the head and knocked him to the ground. As he tried to get back up he made one last grab at her ankle and she scrambled over another desk like a frightened cat running to the door, abandoning her bag where she had originally dropped it.

As Kagome swung open the door and ran, Inuyasha felt a rush of utter relief sweep through him. She'd escaped. And Then he felt proud. Kagome had defended herself all on her own. He smirked back at what he had expected to be the defeated face of her attacker. But surprisingly he was pushing himself up laughing. "Don't forget your detentions!" the man shouted at her as she ran. She didn't outwardly react and he watched as she raced as far away from the room as possible.

He followed her quickly past the hallways and down the stairs. For a second he thought he'd lost her when he turned a corner and didn't see her there, but it seemed you couldn't really get lost in a memory. He had only to turn around and suddenly he found himself on a sidewalk with Kagome walking by him calmly.

He turned, looking at her in confusion before following her in this new direction. Then he saw a flash of red coming towards her.

"Kagome! Where the fuck have you been? It's hours past the time you said you'd be back. I've been waiting all day. I- ...Kagome?" His double paused in the familiar rant. As he'd looked at her face he realized something wasn't right. The smell of tears and faded blood had no doubt hit him like a sudden temperature change. washing them from her hand and her face hadn't done as much to help in tricking his keen nose as she had seemingly hoped it would. Thankfully for her, the red scarf that would have carried the scent of a strange man on it more stubbornly had been left behind.

"Tricky little wench," the real Inuyasha grumbled softly.

As soon as he started to hesitate Kagome realized that he was onto her and looked like she was going to start crying all over again. Her fists closed so tight that her knuckles started turning white and she bit her lip slightly, trying desperately to hold back tears.

The real Inuyasha reached out to touch the memory Kagome's shoulder. Even if she couldn't feel him he desperately wanted to comfort her. Or maybe he wanted her to comfort him. To his surprise she was solid. or at least semi-solid. His hand rested gently on her shoulder but the way she felt was the way he would imagine a ghost to feel. Like if he squeezed her just a little his hand would pass right through.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha. I... I got held up," she lied, giving him an apologetic smile.

It was strange seeing himself with Kagome. He watched his own piercing golden eyes look the girl up and down carefully, his own hesitant approach with her. He recognized this scene. This had apparently happened five days before she had gotten hurt.

"God damn it Kagome... If you'd just said something!" he said to the memory Kagome in frustration.

"I-I have to go run an errand before I go home," she told him softly. "Will you please walk me there?"

To his surprise, even though she wasn't moving her mouth he heard her voice again.

 _'Even if I can't tell him the truth, I'm still so scared. What if Mr. Koriyama rushed to the police first to catch me there? What if he's waiting for me somewhere between here and my house? Please, Inuyasha...'_

Inuyasha's eyes widened in understanding. He was hearing her thoughts. He looked down at his hand on her shoulder. _'Is it because I'm touching her?'_

He watched his past-self look at Kagome critically. "An errand? What is it?"

"God I'm such a fucking idiot," Inuyasha swore furiously. He looked back at Kagome. "And YOU, you sneaky. Little. LIAR! You're not off the hook!" he growled angrily. "When I get you back you're in SO much trouble!"

"I have to report something to the police. It won't take very long."

 _'Does he know what the police are?'_ she wondered faintly.

"Okay, I guess," his past-self agreed with a slightly confused expression.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha growled at himself, feeling more stupid by the second.

Kagome let out a tiny sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you, Inuyasha I was a little nervous about going on my own."

"Really? Why?"

"Er... Just because I've never been before," she lied evenly. But before he could notice her hesitation she changed the subject.

"Hey, Inuyasha I just remembered, after this Mom said we're having steak for dinner tonight. You're invited too, you know."

Inuyasha watched his memory-self lick his lips in anticipation, prompting a smile from Kagome. Despite the deception he'd just witnessed, His heart felt lighter at her smile.

They walked down the road in companionable silence. Inuyasha following them, still keeping contact with Kagome's shoulder.

As they walked, Kagome let herself think on the attack. He watched as the memory played out again only this time in bits and pieces from her point of view. He heard the man's voice in her head repeating over and over again _"Don't forget your detentions!"_

Worry started to seep through her again.

"I'm really happy to see you right now Inuyasha," Kagome blurted out quietly.

The real InuYasha let out a soft sigh as she said this. 'No wonder.'

Memory InuYasha looked at her in surprise. "Yeah?"

Kagome didn't look at him in the eye but nodded firmly.

"Had a rough day?" he'd asked with a look of worry.

His concern deepened when she did not respond right away. Her head bowed in what seemed like shame.

He suddenly sucked up his pride took her hand in his and squeezed. She looked up in surprise. "Whatever happened... It's over now, okay?" he said, trying to get her to shake off the melancholy attitude.

She squeezed his hand back gently and smiled. "Thank you... You're right Inuyasha."

Inuyasha heard her through her thoughts say, _'Even if nobody else on earth protects me from Mr. Koriyama I know if I told you what happened, You would. There's nothing to be scared of. I already know I can do this because I have you with me Inuyasha.'_

Her thoughts made the anger melt a little.

Maybe he hadn't gotten to bloody up that no good teacher of hers... but she was still relying on him. She still trusted him. She knew she could reach out and let him take away all her problems any time she wanted. But she was trying to face her enemy's herself. He couldn't really begrudge her that. ...He still wanted to maim that son of a bitch the very next chance he got.

The scene changed again. He was standing in the Higurashi's kitchen with Kagome and her mother.

This memory was turning out to be quite long. Maybe because it had happened more recently and she remembered it better? He stepped forward and placed his hand back on her shoulder again.

"Mom... There's something I need to talk to you about."

Mrs. Higurashi looked back at her daughter. Kagome squirmed guiltily beneath her gaze. "I-I'm quitting school."

Inuyasha's eyes shot wide. Huh? What the... She hadn't told him about THIS either! That little sneak! She'd been STUDYING just the night before!

"What?" Mrs. Higurashi gasped lightly.

"But, but why? Kagome your education has always been so important to you. Why now?"

She hesitated for a moment. "The teachers know I haven't been sick. And... Mr. Koriama..." She took a deep breath. "He told me that he saw me out with Inuyasha while I should have been sick. So... he tried to blackmail me. He said he wouldn't tell the other teachers to fail me if I would... if I let him..." She hesitated, struggling with herself to admit this to her mother.

Mrs. Higurashi seemed to have Some idea of what her daughter was going to say because her expression turned fearful and unwilling. But she didn't interrupt and the longer Kagome waited to tell her the more frightened her mother became. Kagome closed her eyes tight. _'Just tell her!'_ scolded her mind.

"He said if I made it... Worth his while."

"Oh, sweetheart..." her mother started but Kagome interrupted by raising her hand with an apologetic look.

He watched as the scene played out in her head again. _'And the rest.'_ her thoughts ordered her softly. She took another deep breath.

"I said no," she said in an equally soft voice. "And then he... He attacked me. He tried to rape me." She lowered her head and Her fists clenched. Fear and anger spiked inside of her but she stifled them both.

Kagome's mother looked at her child in open shock which quickly turned to rage and then to open agonizing pain as she beheld her daughter.

"A-Are you okay baby? He didn't... He didn't hurt you Did he?"

"No," Kagome answered, managing a smile. "I managed to get away. I guess all the fights I've been in on the other side of the well really made a difference. But, He also gave me two days of detention with him." She looked down at the table as she said this.

An image played out in her head of herself sitting alone in a room with her teacher as he lorded over her with that evil smirk. Inuyasha snarled at the image. No way in HELL would he allow it.

 _'If he wants to have two days alone with me to coerce me or to use force. He can think again.'_ Kagome's thoughts agreed with conviction. _'He thinks I'm isolated and have nobody to turn to, he must if he thinks he can get away with this.'_

"I'm reporting him to the police," Mrs. Higurashi stated furiously, rising from her seat. It looked like she might start crying.

"I already went to the police station and reported him," Kagome told her mother, motioning for her to sit down. "Inuyasha walked me. But I don't think he realized what was going on."

Her mother hesitantly sat down again. "You didn't tell him?"

"No," Kagome stated miserably. "Please don't say anything to him. Grandpa or Souta either."

Inuyasha frowned angrily at her pleading. He understood her reasoning, to a degree. It didn't mean he was okay with her hiding it.

"I understand your grandfather and Souta, at least for now. But sweetheart don't you think Inuyasha would want to know right away if someone tried to hurt you like that?"

"Oh he'd want to know alright, and there are a lot of things Inuyasha might say or do but I guarantee you **none** of them would be to listen to us and let the police handle it. I wouldn't put it past him to go hunt Koriyama down if he was mad enough. And I'm pretty sure this could be breaking the threshold. He gets furious with guys who just touch my hands! I don't even want to know how angry he would be if he found out about today."

 _'Maybe I'd feel different about telling him if Koriyama had actually succeeded,'_ she thought.

An image flashed in her mind of the man latching onto her ankle as she'd tried to scramble over that desk. The man pulled her back and threw her to the floor. She fell back and hit her head on the teacher's desk stunning her for a moment. Just long enough for the man to regain control of the situation to come and stand before her. Kagome imagined looking up in bone-chilling terror at his sickening grin of triumph. A chill ran down Inuyasha's spine at the image. Kagome shivered and the thought too and stopped it cold in its tracks.

 _'...I know I'd feel different,'_ she amended solemnly. Even the voice in her mind trembled. Tears threatened to come but she held them back. _'I'd probably start praying for Inuyasha to get his hands on that monster.'_

"Not like the guy didn't TRY and fucking rape you idiot!" Inuyasha snapped, regardless of whether she could hear him.

 _'But he didn't, and I handled it. Why make Inuyasha upset and worried for nothing? Why put him through that? He worries about me enough as it is with demon attacks. And It's already so hard just convincing him to let me come back for a few days every couple of weeks.'_

 _'And what if he treated me like I'd wanted it?'_ came a quieter thought. Those words were like a slap in the face. The follow up was even worse.

 _'-like he did with Kouga?'_ an image of Kagome slapping the wolf hard enough to turn his head in front of all of his pack shot through her mind and Inuyasha's jaw dropped. She'd SLAPPED Kouga?

The memory shifted a little _"His name isn't Inu-trasha so don't insult him!"_ she'd snapped, turning away from Kouga and crossing her arms defiantly. _"He's courageous, really good-hearted (when he's not being a jerk) and he's got a great name so say it right! Inuyasha!'_

And then suddenly, his own face looked in at him through Kagome's eyes with an expression of suspicion. He drew away a little with his ears pressing back against his head in surprise.

 _"So what exactly happened between you guys?"_ he asked with narrowed eyes.

The conversation turned into a blur as they started yelling at each other. But when it got to the part where she turned to ask Sango for Kirara he clearly heard himself say, _"See? She misses her wolf-boy already,"_ with that same damning look of accusation.

Inuyasha suddenly felt ashamed of himself. She had done nothing but be loyal to him while she had been with Kouga and he had turned around and just about treated her like a slut. No WONDER that fight had gotten so out of control. No wonder she didn't feel like she could come to him now.

' _I understand why he was so upset with me that time with Kouga,'_ she admitted to herself, if begrudgingly. _'He came all that way to save me and fought off the birds of paradise and then I went and took Kouga's side when he was injured. That had to have hurt his pride... But if I told him what happened today, and then asked him to not do anything about it... Would he see that the same way he'd seen me saving Kouga? Would he act like I was taking Koriyama's side?'_

 _'...No. There's no way he'd blame me... Right?'_ His suspicious face looked back on her again and she hesitated. _'Right?'_ she questioned silently.

He hated that she even had to ask herself that question. But he had to admit, no matter how he looked at it, his jealousy had driven a wedge between them. He'd very clearly brought this on himself. Inuyasha took a deep uneasy breath and locked his eyes on her in determination. Just one more thing to set straight once he got her back.

She shook her head, subtly clearing the thought from her mind. _'It doesn't matter. I can't tell him anyway,'_ she told herself flatly.

"I won't tell him," Mrs. Higurashi said, unknowingly echoing her daughter's thoughts. "It's your secret after all. I'm just glad you told me. At least we can do something about it. Inuyasha would probably get very upset if you told him, wouldn't he? But you really ought to have more faith in him. I mean it's not like he would kill him right?"

Inuyasha couldn't even find it in himself to feel bad about his half-baked plan to do just that. Mrs. Higurashi and her faith in him be damned!

If she had heard the things that man had said to her daughter... If she had Seen the way he had so violently attacked Kagome. He was sure the woman would have simply told Inuyasha not to get too much of the man's disgusting blood on his clothes.

He smiled at the thought of charging out to avenge Kagome with her mother cheering him on. It was surreal and comedic all at once.

"Not on purpose," Kagome replied wearily. "But I know he would want to hand out SOME kind of punishment and that could land Koriyama in the hospital and cause a lot of mayhem on the way there. And even though he's usually very careful, sometimes when he's especially upset, he forgets his own strength."

He scoffed at that analysis, close to the truth though it may be.

She sighed and stared at her hands for a moment. "...Even if things do get settled with Mr. Koriyama. It's too late. He's going to spread rumors about me and they're going to spread like wildfire. Within a few days, everyone will think the same things about me that he does. And... some of the other things he said are right."

Inuyasha snarled to think she had taken a single word of that man's garbage to heart.

"I'm failing here without my classes. And I could be putting our mission in the feudal era in danger by coming back so often. I'm being torn between two worlds here... I- I put so much energy and time into both. But now..." She sighed deeply.

"I'm tired," she admitted wearily. "No matter how hard I work I can't catch up. And now I have this on top of everything else? Rumors were already spreading about me."

 _'Things were already bad enough here.'_

"A few tests every now and then weren't getting me anywhere. I can't pass doing what I'm doing. I would have to stop going to the past to get my grades back up where they need to be. But The jewel shards are more important than my grades. I know that," she said, looking back up at her mother pleadingly.

"I have a feeling that the reason this time period is so peaceful and has so few demons is because we had to have succeeded with the jewel. I can't imagine it being like this if Naraku had won. I know I've never told you much about the shards. But I-"

"Kagome," her mother interrupted. "Kagome, I understand."

Tears fell down Kagome's face. She looked down with an expression of shame.

"I know your education is very important to you and I've seen how hard you've been trying. But you're right, Kagome you held on as long as you could. It was time to make a decision."

"I'll at least get my GED for you," Kagome said quietly. "But I know it wasn't what you wanted for me... I'm so, so sorry." She bowed low to her mother.

 _'That's it,'_ whispered her mind sorrowfully. ' _I finally came out and said it. I couldn't keep up. And now I've dishonored myself and my family.'_

Mrs. Higurashi nudged her chair closer and reached over to pull Kagome into a hug. "Don't be sorry sweetheart, I know you did your best."

"I don't want you to have to be ashamed of me," Kagome admitted, clutching her mother. "I know what everyone else will think. I haven't even dropped out yet and Mr. Kuriyama called me a whore to my face."

Kagome's mother teared up at that. Then she hugged Kagome tighter.

"You've been carrying a heavy burden sweetie. I know that. I've seen it in your eyes. But still, you're trying so hard."

"You guys can say whatever you want to about me," Kagome said miserably. "You can tell them I ran away from home or I died or you disowned me. I don't want to drag down your honor any more than I already have."

"We could tell people you got married?" Mrs. Higurashi suggested, pulling away with a tearful smile. "I'm sure Inuyasha wouldn't protest pretending to be the groom."

The mentioned half-demon blushed at this unexpected suggestion but tried to keep an open mind. If Kagome survived this she would be his anyway.

"I could never ask him to do that," Kagome answered instantly.

Inuyasha winced and looked at her somewhat pained.

"But wouldn't he want to help you?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to tell him about this anyway."

"Don't you think if you stop going to school he's going to notice?"

She smiled slightly. "Not that. I'll have to tell him I'm quitting school sooner or later and I'm sure he's going to be ready to throw a party when he hears THAT. But as for my honor, that's my problem." She paused and looked up into her mother's disappointed face and flinched. "But I guess... It's your problem too," she admitted with a sigh.

 _'It isn't fair for me to bring more shame on my family just because I don't want to tell Inuyasha,'_ she thought with her shoulders wilting a little.

"If you want me to ask him... I'll ask," she relented softly. "But I feel like it would be cruel to Inuyasha to ask something like that of him when he already loves someone else."

"Idiot," Inuyasha growled under his breath.

"Kagome...We would never force you to do that. If you don't want to ask him then we can think of something else."

Her shoulders slumped in relief. Inuyasha snorted. "A fat lot of good it did, not telling me, huh Kagome? Still found out didn't I?" he grumbled.

Unsurprisingly, she didn't hear him. She simply nodded toward her mother. "I'll do whatever you need me to do. It's you guys I'm worried about affecting. If people want to say stupid things about me... Well... fine. I haven't exactly given them any reason to think otherwise. But Inuyasha shouldn't have to protect my dignity like that. The last thing I want is to take advantage of him that way."

"You wouldn't be taking advantage of me stupid!" Inuyasha protested in his ever growing irritation. When this was over he knew he was going to have to have a long talk with her about this matter of her honor. Or maybe just a short talk. 'You're marrying me, **period**.'

She hadn't outright refused the proposal after all. Not the way he feared she would. All he had to do was demand a marriage, or maybe just go over her head and arrange things with her mother. **She** seemed all for it. A stupid grin captured his face at the thought.

"Do you think I'm making the right choice?" Kagome asked her mother suddenly. "I'm pretty much setting myself up to get stuck there... Doesn't that bother you? And What if when the jewel is complete I'm sent back here permanently? What will I do? My grades are shot. My reputation is in ruins... All I'll have is you guys."

"I don't know. But we wouldn't let you go hungry Kagome you know that. And I'm sure Inuyasha would take care of you if you became trapped in his time. To me, either way, I will be proud of you and I'll know your okay. So just worry about those things as they come, okay?"

"...Thanks, Mom," she answered with a soft smile. Kagome hugged her mother but as her chin rested on her mother's shoulder she frowned slightly. _'No, he won't,'_ came a soft voice in her mind. ' _If I get trapped on the other side I'll be alone. Inuyasha will be with Kikyo.'_

Inuyasha flinched slightly at the accusation but watched as the memory faded. He expected for that to be the end of it. But it flickered back to life again.

This time, Kagome was sitting on her bed with the lights off. Her forehead was on her knees and her arms were wrapped tight around her legs. She was crying.

Slowly he reached forward to touch her hand. As his fingers made contact, he heard her voice cut through her soft sobs like she wasn't crying at all.

 _'How could he do that to me? Aren't teachers supposed to look out for students not blackmail them and...?'_ she sounded betrayed and angry and sad. It was a raw sound.

 _'How could he? What am I supposed to do?'_ She buried her face In her knees and tightened her hold on her legs. _'Has he tried this before? How many times? For him to be so bold about it... This couldn't be the first time he's tried something like this.'_

 _'How many girls weren't so lucky? How many couldn't come forward?'_ He watched as she Imagined the scene from before only with some other poor girl standing uncertainly where Kagome had stood. Another girl not being so lucky as the man charged her. Knocking her to the ground...

She sobbed even harder into her knees. Pity and sorrow rose up inside her. _'That was almost ME. If I'd have tripped even once he would have caught me and I wouldn't have been able to do anything!'_

 _'I wish Inuyasha was with me,'_ came a faint thought. With it came the image of himself hugging Kagome tight. But she pushed it away.

 _'I can't tell him,'_ she reminded herself mournfully, crying a little harder.

Inuyasha's hand clenched around Kagome's arm. She made a small muffled sob but didn't say or think anything else.

Slowly, he wrapped himself around her, As if he could somehow shield her from the world. It didn't matter that this wasn't the real Kagome. And it didn't matter that he couldn't comfort the memory. As he held her, lightly warm in his arms and resisting against his body, it felt like maybe he could reach her.

 _'I wish I could just go to Inuyasha,'_ whispered a longing thought. _'I wish I wasn't alone.'_

"You're not alone," he whispered to her, wishing with all his heart that she could hear him. "You'll never have to be without me again. I won't let anyone hurt you. When you wake up Kagome you'll be mine."

Suddenly there was no more resistance and no more crying.

He was in the dark again, standing in ankle deep water. The light flickered in front of him, replaying flashes of the scenes he had encountered within.

He turned away from the shard and knelt down In the water, clutching his head in his hands, trying to calm himself down. Kagome had been afraid of his jealousy and his overreacting, and because of it, she had been forced to cry alone.

He laid his ears back at that thought, wincing.

He'd have to think about this. From the looks of things, He was going to have to hammer it into her head that he wasn't going to leave and he had to make her marry him in her time to protect her and her family's honor. With the rest... He'd just have to talk to her.

A shard of light floated quietly in front of him and he saw an image flash of a tall man with black ruffled hair that fell the exact same way Souta's and Kagome's did. He blinked in surprise. That HAD to be Kagome's father! He felt himself leap at it, his curiosity burning inside him. He had to see this mysterious father of Kagome's.


	6. Chapter 6

A shard of light floated quietly in front of him and he saw an image flash of a tall man with black ruffled hair that fell the exact same way Souta's and Kagome's did. He blinked in surprise. That HAD to be Kagome's father! He felt himself leap at it. His curiosity burning inside him. He had to see this mysterious father of Kagome's.

(-)

Kagome was tiny in this memory. She could have only been three or four. She had huge innocent blue eyes and was dressed in a tiny pink dress. Her black hair was cut short and neat with a red ribbon in it. She was sitting on a man's lap outside on the roots of the god tree and they were looking up at the night sky.

"You know what? Someday you're going to grow up to be a real beauty Kagome," the man said confidently.

"You think so, Daddy? the child answered with a look of surprise.

"I _know_ so."

Inuyasha came to stand closer to them, leaning his back against the tree.

Kagome's expression turned doubtful. "What if you're wrong?"

Her father smiled knowingly."I'm not wrong," he told her confidently. "I know a pretty girl when I see one."

"...Saatchi-kun says I'm ugly," she revealed with a soft voice.

The man gave his daughter a distasteful look that Inuyasha shared. "Saatchi is the kid with the huge nose right?"

"Daddy! Tha's not nice!" she scolded him abruptly.

"There, look at that! You're even cuter when you get mad! Just like your mother!" he teased with a laugh.

"So she gets that from her mother eh?" Inuyasha wondered aloud with a soft grin. Thank goodness he'd never seen the woman mad before if _that_ was where his miko got her anger from. Hopefully, Kagome would also eventually mellow out. Although... Where would be the fun in that?

"You know what? I bet big nose is just jealous of how adorable you are." With that, he swept the little girl up tighter in his arms for a huge hug. Kagome just laughed and hugged him back. She was really very small. He could have wrapped most of his body around her in that hug.

It was weird seeing Kagome with her father like that. The father she never talked about, holding her and talking to her warmly. It was easy to tell that he really truly loved Kagome. Somehow, it made Inuyasha feel like an outsider. He felt that way with the rest of her family too sometimes, but somehow this was worse.

"Daaaaddy don say mean things! You'll get in twouble!" the little girl protested, despite her smiles.

The man snorted. "I won't get in trouble, and even if I did I can get out of it on my own just fine. You're lookin at someone with a rap sheet a mile long," He told his daughter with a defiant smirk.

"Wha's a rap sheep?" she asked with an expression of puzzlement.

Inuyasha's mind had followed along similar lines. He too waited for the man's response.

"A rap sheet," he corrected. "Well, it's uh... You know how your teacher says if you're bad they'll write down all the bad things you've done on your permanent record?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it's like that. But for grown-ups."

"Wow," she said looking clearly impressed. "You must have been really bad Daddy."

"I guess I was," he admitted, grinning as if she had complimented him and reaching an arm around to scratch the back of his neck nervously.

"Why did you do bad stuff?" she asked innocently.

"Well... There were a lot of reasons... I guess, mostly it was that back when I was young your grandpa and grandma were really strict with me and I just wanted to get out and DO things. I felt caged up, so one day I couldn't take it anymore and just ran wild." The man sighed and shook his head as if ashamed. "I didn't really care about who I was hurting or anything I stole, I cheated on girls, I fought in a gang there for awhile... I was a mess."

"Tha's how you got your scar righ?" she asked, reaching up her tiny hands to touch the scar on his face.

"Yep," he declared, finding his smirk again. "Some Bastard jumped me with a knife when I was 17."

"Daddy!"

"Oh right, sorry baby Old habit."

Kagome kept the frown but didn't say anything else. Inuyasha chuckled.

"But then I met your mother." The man smiled lightheartedly. "I'd never met anyone so amazing in my life. She made me wanna be a better man." He looked down at Kagome again. "And so do you," he told her with a smile.

Kagome smiled back. "You'w aweady a good Daddy," she proclaimed affectionately.

The man smiled at her a little wider. "And you're my good little girl," he returned warmly. With that, he leaned down kissed her forehead and Ruffled her hair. She giggled as he pulled away.

"Anyway about this big nosed brat. You can't let people like that drag you down baby. There's always going to people who are jealous of you or just plain don't like you. But that's not _your_ fault. Those are the kinds of people you're never going to please no matter what you do. So just ignore em or stand up to em. If you let what everyone else says to you go straight to your heart every time you'll never get to be happy."

She nodded thoughtfully and turned around on his lap to look back up at the sky.

The two sat in the quiet of the night for a little while. And then Kagome's father spoke up again in a soft request.

"Hey, sweetheart? Promise me... you won't let some stupid boy break your heart when you're older okay?"

"Huh..? Why would someone want to bweak my heart?" she asked, looking back at her father in surprise.

Inuyasha flinched slightly at the innocent question and looked away. He remembered the agony on her face every time he had to leave her to go to Kikyo. He remembered the cold distances between them when he would return. The distances that only started getting bigger and deeper with every visit.

In those moments he'd always known deep down that he was breaking her heart.

The man was silent for a moment longer but he hugged his daughter close.

"When I was a young man.. I broke girl's hearts left and right just because I was stupid. I insulted them, I ignored them, I cheated... But looking back now I realize they were sweet little girls once, just like you. With Daddy's that loved them with all their hearts. And if somebody did something like that to you..." His eyes hardened. "I'd have to kill him."

Kagome looked up at her father thoughtfully and then reached out and touched his cheek with a tiny hand. "Don't be sad Daddy," she told him softly.

The man looked surprised at first and gave her a halfhearted smile. "I'm not sad baby. I'm just... I Worry. I don't want you to have to be hurt over some stupid boy."

"I won't get hurt," Kagome told her father stubbornly. "If a boy tries to bweak my heart you'll protect me righ?"

"The man's face turned hard again for a moment. "Just LET some stupid guy TRY and steal you from me," the man grumbled, hugging his daughter tighter again.

Kagome gave a shrill laugh and scrambled to escape her father's arms.

Inuyasha felt his heart wrench. This father would never get to see his daughter all grown up. He wouldn't get the chance to protect her... From him.

"I won't ever fall in love if it makes you sad Daddy," Kagome told her father sincerely.

This statement hurt even more. He felt himself Suddenly wishing he could just disappear. Surely he couldn't honestly deserve her. Kagome would have been better off never meeting him.

But to his surprise, the man shook his head.

"It won't make me sad it's just... I want you to find someone who loves you more than anyone else on earth. I want you to be happy. I don't want you to cry over some stupid guy who doesn't treat you right. And... I'll be a little lonely to see you go when you do fall in love and get married. But I know you'd be so much happier being free. You and me Kagome, we're a lot alike." He smiled at her. "We're like a couple of cats. If we want to go somewhere we just go. And if someone tries to stop us we'll fight for it."

Kagome smiled back radiantly. Her little chest inflated with pride.

Inuyasha's heart lightened a little. He automatically thought back on all the times Kagome had sat him when he'd tried to force her to stay on his side of the well.

 _'That's her alright,'_ he thought with a small smile.

The man's attention was drawn to the sky and suddenly he smiled. "Look a shooting star!" he told Kagome, pointing at the sky. "Quick make a wish!"

The girl made a sound of excitement, flung herself from her father's lap, dropped to her knees and locked her hands together, squinting her eyes tight in concentration.

Inuyasha watched in bemusement. So her father was the one who taught her to wish on stars? He'd always kinda assumed she'd just come up with it on her own.

As soon as she was apparently done, she turned back to her father and grinned spectacularly.

"I wished to get married to a prince when I grow up!" she told her father eagerly.

"A prince?" her father asked with a baffled and bemused expression.

Inuyasha gave the girl a confused and disheartened look. But her next words made his eyes widen in surprise.

"Yeah, I want a prince that would fight dragons to save me!"

Before Inuyasha could fully recover from his surprise her father returned with, "Er... Sweetie, dragons don't exist."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at the man. "The hell they don't!" he growled back loudly.

The girl looked confused. "But grandpa said..."

"You really can't believe everything grandpa says," her father sighed.

"Then what about ogres?"

" _They_ exist too," Inuyasha grumbled under his breath. _'Man, **no wonder** Kagome was so unprepared for my world.'_

"Don't you think you're... Setting up some pretty high standards?" the older man laughed awkwardly.

"Stan... dards?"

"I mean... Don't you think you could... I don't know, settle for someone who's... rich? Or handsome? Someone who's _like_ a prince?"

"No," she replied firmly. "I want a bwave prince who will protect me from monsters!"

The man smiled at this slightly. "But... Finding a prince in this day and age... I just don't want you to be disappointed."

She tilted her head. "Is it hard to marry a prince?"

"Very hard. Does it have to be a prince?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I want a prince like you! Then you won't have to worry about me!"

The man took on an amused smile. "I'm not a prince baby."

"Yes, you are! Mommy said you are her Prince Charming."

"Oooh, so that's how it is," the man chuckled. "Look, when people say that they mean their true love, get it?"

"Yes," she responded after a moment of thought. "I think so."

"You do?"

"Yes. My twue love is a prince that fights scawy monsters!"

The man sighed and rubbed his head in frustration. But Kagome only smiled wider in response.

(-)

When Inuyasha found himself back in the dark he discovered that the landscape had changed again. Off In the distance, he could see a horizon and clouds floating overhead in the dark. He wasn't really sure what to make of It _or_ her conversation with her father.

Inuyasha frowned. Well... He was _sort of_ a prince... In a way. His mother was a princess... Maybe that counted? He did fight monsters for her just about every other day... That in itself had to count for a lot right?

But he was pretty sure if he'd ever met Kagome's father the old guy would'a probably been completely against him. Monster slaying abilities and bloodline be damned. Especially after all the times he'd sent Kagome back to her world furious with him or crying.

The thought actually made him a little disappointed. He'd seemed like a good man. They even seemed to have some things in common. They were both a little rough around the edges. They were fighters and they both loved and wanted to protect Kagome. That was enough for Inuyasha to find himself liking the guy.

He walked around the new landscape aimlessly. Every once in awhile he caught sight of a memory that interested him and he would watch it flicker by, but he didn't enter any. He watched scenes play out of Kagome running through a forest as if being chased, He watched her crawl out of her bed in the middle of the night as a little girl to go sit under the god tree alone.

He saw her shatter the jewel of four souls all over again.

He watched her collapse in front of the god tree crying into her hands. His claws brushed the memory. She pulled her hands away to look up at the tree as if confused or scared. _"I love him," r_ ang her voice faintly in his ears. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock at her own thought. " _I love Inuyasha. When..? When did I start to love him so much?"_ came faintly to him.

A bittersweet joy filled him. Kagome loved him... Sure he'd heard her say so before once and he believed her. But the realization that she loved him seemed to cause her more pain than happiness. How would she react when he brought her back only to force her to be his for however many hundreds of years he had left? Would she be happy? Or would she be miserable?

He wandered further even as the world brightened and brightened all around him. Before his very eyes, he saw tentative leaves and shoots poke up all around him in the water and slowly start to reach for the sky, some of them unfurling with strange and beautiful white flowers.

And then something made him stop. Standing in his path was a memory that didn't seem like the others. Its glow was a little strange. Like the light around it was bigger but the contents were shadowed.

He approached and peered inside, carefully brushing just the tips of his claws over the surface. In a split second, a tremendous feeling of pain and terror shot through him. He could see panicked flashes of a bloody knife and Kagome thrashing, sobbing and screaming in agony. He tore himself away in horror, backing away with his heart hammering in his chest. The silence around him seemed deafening. He stared at the memory, now knowing exactly what that darkness hid. Kagome's torture.


	7. Chapter 7

Standing in his path was a memory that didn't seem like the others. Its glow was a little strange. Like the light around it was bigger but the contents were shadowed.

He approached and peered inside, carefully brushing just the tips of his claws over the surface. In a split second, a tremendous feeling of pain and terror shot through him. He could see panicked flashes of a bloody knife and Kagome thrashing, sobbing and screaming in agony. He tore himself away in horror, backing away with his heart hammering in his chest. The silence around him seemed deafening. He stared at the memory, now knowing exactly what that darkness hid. Kagome's torture.

(-)

Reluctantly, Inuyasha stepped back towards the memory. Although now he looked at the thing as if it were poisonous.

Did he have a right to see this memory? Did he have a choice? They needed to know how and why she had been taken, If she had given any information away, and whether she had really killed the demon that had done this to her.

And maybe he felt like he needed to know just how badly he had failed her.

His guilt beat at him relentlessly until He reached out his hand. But still he hesitated.

He had a feeling in the pit of his gut that this was going to be one of the worst things he'd ever have to see. But turning away and ignoring it was out of the question. He was the reason she had been forced to go through all that. Even if he couldn't do anything about it now there was no way he could just walk away and pretend it didn't happen.

He straightened up in grim determination and reached forward the rest of the way grabbing the light tight with a clawed hand.

In the blink of an eye, Inuyasha found himself back in the clearing he had found Kagome in that morning. But this time was different.

This time, Kagome was tied to a tree by her throat and her ankles. Her hands were tied on each side to the rope around her neck. She was trembling faintly from head to toe and nearly every inch of her was covered in blood. Her clothes were nearly nonexistent. The arms and the legs of her pajamas a had been hacked off badly and this position let him see all of her injuries perfectly.

When he'd found her before There was so much blood and gore, her's and the demon's that he hadn't really known where to start checking her for wounds or if it was even his place to look if some of her injuries were under her remaining clothes. And she'd been curled up on herself. He'd just brought her straight to Kaede as quickly as he could. Then the old woman had shooed him out so Kagome could be bathed and treated.

But now he couldn't look away.

The bastard... Had carved words into her flesh.

Infuriatingly Naraku's name glared up at him from her arm . On her other arm, he had carved the words black priestess in huge letters. On her legs were written weak, human, copy, bitch, ugly, shard detector... His stomach twisted. This couldn't be a coincidence. But how..?

Then there were the deeper wounds. The monster had stabbed her deep in the side where the jewel of four souls had been ripped out. A place that would seriously hurt her but not kill her. Her blood dripped freely from every carved word, every slash...

He hesitantly started to walk towards her. Her face was hidden by her hair but once he got up close he realized she was staring across the clearing. He followed the direction of her gaze and He noticed the demon not far away sitting on a rock in deep conversation with a samyosho that hovered nearby. This incarnation looked mostly human. Even ordinary. The only features that gave him away were his red eyes, pointed ears, and his claws. Otherwise, he just looked like a man with short black hair about their age. Suddenly he nodded and motioned for the demon insect to leave. It did so to hover nearby. Then he stood up and started to walk towards the bound girl smiling and flashing a knife.

Kagome's eyes widened and she started to thrash against the ropes like a desperate animal in a trap.

"I-Inuyasha!" she cried hoarsely in her desperation.

The demon only smiled at her.

"Bastard!" The dog demon roared at the memory in frustration. Every step Naraku's monster took closer to the terrified and hurt Kagome was a red-hot blade of anger and fear in Inuyasha's chest. Without even thinking he swung his claws into the demon's head with an animals snarl. But like before, his hand swept through harmlessly. He was powerless to stop the monster in front of him. Kagome was alone.

"Inuyasha!" she sobbed. He looked back at her helplessly as tears started to stream down her cheeks as she twisted wildly against the ropes to the point that blood seeped from her wrists and her neck.

"Inuyasha please!" she sobbed a little weaker, begging now. "Please come!"

Her words cut through him worse than any sword or arrow.

Without a further thought, Inuyasha charged the demon again, swinging even harder this time and again nothing happened. With every sound she made his instincts threw him into a frenzy. He tried again and again but his hands just kept slipping through the memory like smoke and with every attack he made he felt himself unravel. But no matter what he did here he couldn't change the reality.

Even if he had been just a human it would have torn him to pieces to watch Kagome being hurt this way. But as a dog demon, he realized that having to witness such a thing was going to do a lot worse to him than _that_ if he let it. The monster hadn't even touched her in front of him yet and he was already falling apart.

He'd known Kagome had been tortured before he'd come here.

...He'd _known_ that.

But the word hadn't connected with the reality. He hadn't _truly_ been able or willing to think about what that implied. That she might have really cried and screamed for him while this monster carved her up. He stopped his vain attempts to save her, panting from the effort. He bit down on his lip in frustration and anger. Faintly he tasted his own blood. He'd bitten his lip in his actual body.

 _'Kagome I failed you. I failed you. You called for me and I didn't come.'_

"I already told you he isn't coming pretty one," the demon laughed. Inuyasha shot the creature a bitter and furious glare.

"I know that you're confused but I already explained this," the demon told her teasingly. "They're all still asleep exactly where you saw them last. Remember? Sadly the spell will only last until morning but I think that's plenty of time don't you?"

Inuyasha blinked in shock. His eyes widening in understanding as he listened. A spell?! **That** was why they hadn't woken up when she'd been..?!

The demon started to speak again, cutting off Inuyasha's revelation. "Naraku wants to watch the fun when the half-breed discovers you've betrayed him to his greatest enemy. Or watch him suffer from your death."

"Son of a bitch!" Inuyasha snarled furiously through his clenched teeth.

"I'm finding that my master has a pretty twisted sense of humor," continued the demon with a dark laugh. "I could have just killed you all in your sleep but no. That's apparently not good enough."

Kagome said nothing. The poor girl just trembled and drew herself more towards the tree. As if she wished she could disappear inside of it.

There was a moment of silence and then the demon chuckled. "Maybe he will. Your protector has surprised my master more than **once** with his stubbornness. But that's why I also have the samyosho hanging around their clearing."

 _'Can he hear her thoughts?'_ Inuyasha wondered. He drew forward and hesitantly rested his fingertips on Kagome's arm.

"If they do somehow miraculously wake up before dawn I'll get a warning. There's no way they'll reach you in time."

The demon smiled, revealing a set of perfectly even white teeth. "I'll have the half-breeds secrets before the night is over even if I have to shatter your soul to get to them. It wouldn't be that hard you know."

Kagome flinched slightly. The remembrance of pain from a few similar attacks ran across her brain and his by extension. He shivered. It was a disjointing, painful and confusing feeling. Along with it came her memory of a similar pain while lying in a tub of green water that smelled of herbs. Kikyo's resurrection, He realized.

But she didn't show him how the monster in front of her had accomplished it.

The demon's smile darkened And he leaned forward. Inuyasha felt a tremendous spike of terror rising in her.

"But Naraku's orders were to make you crack," he whispered, reaching up to cup the girl's chin in his cold hand. The hair on the back of Inuyasha's neck stood up and he released a feral growl. She weakly attempted to rip her face away from his touch but he jerked her face back into position roughly. Inuyasha felt a sharp pain in his neck briefly and he narrowed his eyes in anger at the demon spawn. The demon's expression never changed but hers flashed to openly frightened Before hardening angrily. "He wants you to betray the half-breed with your very own luscious little mouth," he said.

Rage swelled in her, momentarily overcoming the fear.

"Fuck. you," she whispered rebelliously, sending him a hateful glare.

Inuyasha shot her a surprised look. He'd never heard Kagome cuss like that before.

The demon also shot her a look of surprise. But when she only glared at him he shrugged and drew up his other hand dramatically with a dark smile. Kagome's eyes were drawn to the hand almost magnetically. The rage went back into fear. Her body tensed in expectation of pain. He clicked his fingers and Inuyasha's hand was forced from her body. He heard her scream of pain and heard a cracking noise all around him. Like a glass under pressure, just about to shatter completely. The memory grew darker, more faded. Then it flickered and Kagome's body collapsed against the ropes trembling violently. She whimpered and started to cry.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha uttered in a cracking voice. His heart broke with every sound of misery and pain she made, driving him further and further away from the memory. It grew gray and lost its sounds. Then there, Just on the edge of his awareness... He could feel Kagome beside him. The real Kagome. The warmth of her body, her scent... Safe and sound sleeping against his chest. But the more he focused on his body in the real world... The more his connection to her slipped.

He tore his mind away from the temptation of consciousness and concentrated on the memory again.

The sounds and dull colors started to come back.

He focused on the monster. If he continued to focus on Kagome in this nightmare he feared for his sanity and her life.

"This was how he did it?" Inuyasha asked in a tightly constrained voice.

Her crying had stopped and her shaking had eased some. She just breathed long deep breaths now. Slowly, she looked up at the demon in a daze. Inuyasha carefully put his hand back on her arm and squeezed as tight at the memory allowed. a lingering pain echoed from her.

"I'll ask you again sweetheart. What are the half-breed's weaknesses?"

She continued to just stare at the demon with a vacant expression. Her Confusion echoed in him.

 _'I... What's... Happening?'_ her mind asked in barely a whisper.

Inuyasha whimpered for her. "Gods, Kagome..."

The demon smirked. "Seems like you're even _more_ confused this time. Still, I can't have you in dreamland..." And with that, the demon drew back his hand and slapped her.

Her head hit the tree and she yelped in surprise. Inuyasha felt an explosion of pain in his own head but it passed unnaturally quickly. Like a shadow of the real pain. Inuyasha snarled and swiped at the creature's face again with his claws. But again, they passed through harmlessly. As they did so Kagome's eyes widened and she slowly turned her gaze back to her attacker.

"That's better," the demon practically purred.

It was like she'd never seen him before. Panic set in and Kagome started to struggle, twisting violently against the ropes in a blind panic to escape. But all that did was make them cut into her even more. Inuyasha felt a variety of sharp pains all over his body and a tightening around his neck. It was difficult to breathe.

"Inuyasha!" she croaked out frantically, despite the rope.

Her protector lowered his ears and slumped his shoulders in shame. Swiping at the demon would do no good. calling out to her would do no good...

"He's not COMING," reminded the demon with a dark smile.

"God damn it," Inuyasha muttered. The anger he had felt for her teacher was a pale comparison to the fury he felt now. But with it came with a soul crushing sorrow that threatened to consume him on the spot.

"If you want to get away that badly pretty one then just tell me what I want to know and you can go," The demon promised her again.

She stopped struggling. Her eyes widened and she snapped her gaze back to the demon's face.

Memories of her assault flashed in her mind along with the words " _Tell me Inuyasha's secrets..."_

 _'I forgot why I was here!'_ Kagome's mind cried in stunned horror. _'That monster made me forget!'_

"Tell me. Or I'll make you forget even your own name," smiled the demon.

"Never!" she hoarsely snarled back.

As her confusion fled, her sudden courage surged and spread to Inuyasha. He felt her strength like an iron wall, building against the pain and sorrow. It wrapped around the both of them, tucking him safely inside of it with her.

Inuyasha released a breath through his teeth that he didn't realize he had been holding and let the feeling sweep through him with relief. They would make it through this together. He could feel it in his bones. There was nothing on earth this demon could do to them that they could not endure. Kagome's heart screamed it as loud as a battle cry.

The demon frowned and clicked his fingers again.

Inuyasha's hand was repulsed just like last time. Kagome's back arched and she screamed again. The cracking sound came back louder. Everything flickered and the world grew smaller. It's dark edges creeping a little closer. But this time, he looked away from Kagome to glare at the demon with every ounce of fury and hatred he possessed. Hurting Kagome no longer made him want to buckle beneath the weight of her pain. It made him want to tear the world apart at the seams starting with the creature in front of him

Her body collapsed again. She trembled from head to toe. Her breathing was labored. She couldn't seem to get enough air in between her soft cries.

Inuyasha snarled at the demon and reached out to clutch Kagome's shoulder tight.

 _'Remember,'_ urged her mind faintly. ' _Wake up and Remember Kagome. Don't forget... Don't forget. Don't forget...'_ She pinched her eyes shut against the pain and just breathed hard.

"You don't have to try and be so brave. You know he doesn't love you."

Her mind's whispers of 'don't forget' disappeared.

"I ...I know... that," Kagome whispered. Suddenly she didn't feel very strong at all. She felt weak, vulnerable and isolated. He felt it too. He felt like he was a thousand miles away from everything. On an island in the middle of a stormy ocean completely forgotten.

"He loves his precious Kikyo," the demon pointed out carelessly. Kagome felt an ache in her chest at those words. The demon flicked the blade between his fingers deftly as he talked.

Inuyasha's ears folded against his head and he screwed his eyes tight for a moment. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. She wouldn't believe that once he woke her up. He wouldn't **_let_ ** her think that way _ever_ again. He just had to keep watching. He had to hold on and find out what happened.

"No matter how much you give up for him. No matter how hard you try to please him or how faithful you are, the only thing you could ever do to make yourself even close to equal with Kikyo is if you died. Only in mourning would he see you as a person of worth."

The girl's head dropped in defeat and she stared at the ground. The ache in her chest grew and echoed in Inuyasha.

"That's not fucking **true** Kagome! Don't listen to him!"

"So why go to such lengths to protect him? Are you _truly_ as stupid as he thinks you are?"

''...Maybe... I am,'' she admitted softly. Blood dripped from her mouth and landed on the leaves below. She watched in a daze. "...He will never love me," she whispered. "I know that." Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at her defiantly but in half a second his anger was extinguished. "And maybe it's stupid, But... I don't care."

The demon growled in frustration.

"I could never force him, and I could never hate him for it. I'd already decided... It's enough. Just getting to be with him for this long... I'm content with that." And then to Inuyasha's astonishment, she smiled slightly. It wasn't a bitter smile or a sad smile. It was an expression of peace.

"Even when he treats you like dirt?! Even when he runs away from you every chance he gets?!" snapped the demon angrily.

An image of Himself running right past her flashed through her mind unbidden. "I'm sorry..." the copy said. He remembered that. He'd gone to find Kikyo after Mt Hakurai's collapse. Inuyasha felt as she watched him go with a sorrow acute to the point of physical pain. Another memory came. She saw him stalk away from her again, this time in another direction. "You're just a human! You wouldn't understand!" he snapped. Inuyasha lowered his ears to his head again. The pain in Kagome's heart increased.

She was falling down a hole looking up with an expression of betrayal as he watched her descent.

"Go home."

She shook her head and closed her eyes tight, willing the memories away. They parted hesitantly.

Seeing his thoughtless words and moments of abandonment being used against Kagome like this... It made Inuyasha feel like he had helped Naraku's demon torture her. He felt ill.

"Yes. Even then," came a frail voice. He looked at Kagome's face. Her eyes were closed tight with a few tears still clinging to her.

'What was he supposed to do?' her mind whispered, opening her eyes and staring down at the ground almost angrily. _'Ignore Kikyo when she might have needed his help? Give me all his secrets at the drop of a hat? **Insist** I stay with him even when I would have to watch him be with Kikyo when he **knew** it upset me?'_ Kagome looked up at the demon with a sad and stony defiance. _'No. He wasn't trying to hurt me. He just did what he felt he had to do.'_

 _'And now I'll do what **I** have to do,'_ whispered her mind. An image of herself being killed came to mind. He saw the knife plunge into her heart... The blood... _'Even if Inuyasha hates it.'_

He saw himself walking into the clearing and finding her still tied to that tree. An expression of agonizing disbelief written across his face as he looked at her body. The real Inuyasha stared at her speechlessly. She'd been prepared to DIE for him?

She looked up at her enemy with building determination. _'Inuyasha, You trusted me with your secrets,'_ her mind whispered in his ears.

Was she really talking to him? The shield he had felt in her mind came back and it was growing in strength with every second.

 _' You **trusted** me, and I won't let you down,'_ she continued. _'Not ever. Even if I die here, I'll protect you no matter what.'_

She took a deep fortifying breath And steeled herself for the next attack. Glaring at her tormentor in open rebellion.

"How very noble." The demon said, frowning at her. "But the night's not over quite yet."

Inuyasha's hand was repelled again just as The knife plunged deep into her side opposite of the place the jewel had once resided. She gasped and gritted her teeth. Then he slashed her deep down her leg, easily cutting into her flesh and the already torn fabric. She started to scream.

(-)

Inuyasha stalked the length of the memory like a caged animal, breathing hard and biting back the overwhelmingly painful emotions her every scream and cry drew from him as she was slowly tortured. It was so so hard not to wake up. He could feel his real body _just_ at the edge of his awareness, calling to him. There was a warmth against his chest from Kagome's body in the real world. There was a scent of herbs and the straw that made up their bed. He wanted to go back so badly it hurt. The only reason he held on was the knowledge that she'd somehow defeated the demon. She'd survived... But If he let go now he would have just drawn out her death not stopped it. No matter how painful it was to hear and see Kagome being tortured while he could do nothing. He couldn't let himself give in or all her bravery and all her sacrifice would be for nothing.

When the demon finally pulled away, she gave up struggling, sagged against her bonds and started whimpering and sobbing.

"Let's see..." mused the demon as he flicked the bloody knife in his hands again and considered his next move.

Kagome still sobbed and trembled against the tree. She tried to pull herself together but it was slow. She stared terrified at the blood soaked blade.

"Tell me Inuyasha's weaknesses," The demon demanded, no longer oozing confidence. Kagome's steadfast loyalty was beginning to wear the monster down.

"No," she whispered quietly. Her strength from before now only a thread. But a stubborn one. Every time she answered with a no Inuyasha closed his eyes in pain. Every time she protected him just meant more pain for her. He'd have given his secrets over willingly from the very beginning if he could have spared her this. He would have traded places with her in a heartbeat, even as a human, and been utterly grateful.

"I admire your determination but you're going to tell me sooner or later. Why not just tell me now and save yourself more pain? I promise I won't hurt you anymore if you do what I ask."

"No," Kagome repeated through her tear-choked voice. "I won't. Not ever."

"Kagome..." Inuyasha uttered mournfully.

Naraku's incarnate growled in frustration then looked up at the sky calculatingly. The moon had disappeared now. The night was nearly over. The demon sighed. "Very well. My spell on your friends is about to expire. I have to say I really didn't think you would be so difficult. I should have taken your resolve more _seriously_. If I had, I would have brought more supplies with me." He smirked darkly at the girl but she didn't look up.

"But it's my own fault if I underestimated you pretty one. So I suppose If you would truly rather die than give up that creature's secrets I have no choice but to honor your wish. I'll simply have to take the information I want through force and kill you."

Her head snapped up and her eyes widened. "No!" she cried out with a look of terror.

The demon said nothing, he just glared at her solemnly and clicked his fingers. But this time, there wasn't a cracking sound immediately.

Kagome's eyes had screwed themselves shut tight and her jaw was clenched in concentration.

Memories shot through her head. The time she had jumped off Kirara's back mid-flight and he had caught her twirling them both in a circle. A time she had cried against his chest as he held her tight. A time they had played ro-sham-bo with the others, standing up on a hill smiling down at Sango and Miroku in victory. The time she had been sick and he had given her his mother's medicine.

"Damn it!" snarled the demon, grabbing Kagome's throat and slamming her head against the tree. A sharp pain exploded in Inuyasha's head making him stagger. Kagome struggled to breath let alone cry out, but somehow she clung to her memories.

The time he had taken an arrow for her not realizing it was harmless. The time she'd done the same while he'd been left helpless against that Sakura tree while fighting Kaguya. His look of disbelieving terror at her sacrifice. Him pushing her behind his back away from Kouga and snarling at him. The time they had kissed in Kaguya's castle...

And then he felt a strangely small sharp pain in his chest just below the heart that made him catch his breath. The memory started to flicker and crack all around them.

Kagome gave a groan of pain and he looked up to see blood dripping from her mouth. Even so, she focused on the memory of their kiss.

The demon bastard growled and Inuyasha's hand was forced away from Kagome as the demon twisted his right hand just beneath her breast. Blood gushed from there and she lurched back against the tree with her eyes closed tight in pain. Her jaw clenched shut as blood dripped from her mouth. The monster had stabbed her in the chest.

Inuyasha's anger flared and with a sudden boost of willpower, He fought to grab her arm forcing his way the best he could and ignoring the pain when he succeeded. Even to him, the pain would have been pretty bad. To her it was horrible. Almost as bad as the pain he had felt when Sesshomaru had run him through.

Her struggle to breathe against his grip on her throat was halted entirely. Inuyasha's air supply was cut off too. Even in the real world, he could feel himself stop drawing breath. The sensation burned but he ignored it. If Kagome had survived so would he. he couldn't let go now. Not when she was fighting so hard to save him. The memories she had been using to protect herself stopped.

There was a buzzing in her ears that blocked out all sounds and sensations except the pain and then all she could feel was the sensation as she started to slip into unconsciousness.

She lost her focus and there was a sound like breaking that crashed in her mind as loud as a tidal wave. The memory grew darker than ever. The pain grew numb and Kagome's body collapsed against the ropes.

An image of himself covered in ink and fainting flashed in her mind faintly. As well as a memory of a time he'd been too close to one of Sango's stink pellets.

 _"If lord Inuyasha is ever separated from his sword and his life is in danger he will transform into a full demon."_ A memory came to her mind of himself with lightning blue eyes set in blood red and stripes on his cheeks. Inuyasha watched in horror as his demon-self stared down at a group of humans who'd thrown themselves at his feet. _"He would lose himself and become nothing but a shell. His only thoughts would be of killing."_ He saw himself brutally cut the men down, their blood splattered across the ground. His demon-self smirked. Then to his horror, the beast in his body turned that pair of red and blue eyes on Kagome as she held his sword to her chest. She looked back at him terrified.

How had she not abandoned him that day? The memory changed.

"Lord Inuyasha's night must fall on the night of the new moon," came Myoga's voice faintly. It was followed by a foggy memory of him as a human lying on her lap after the demon spider attack.

Kagome lingered on that memory. He watched with sorrow, guilt and longing as she gently stroked a lock of damp black hair from his face as he slept. Then hesitantly she brought her hand back just to stroke his cheek. Her expression was worried and soothing.

And then her mind went blank. The memories disappeared as the world went fuzzy and quiet.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered in dread. She was supposed to have won. Right?

The demon seemed to laugh although it was hard to be sure, and then her bonds disappeared like smoke. She slipped through Inuyasha's fingers like a ghost and fell to the ground at the base of the tree as limp as a doll. The world around her fell to black. Nothing existed but herself. She stared out at the darkness barely awake. maybe even already unconscious.

Inuyasha fell to his knees beside her and haltingly reached toward her but paused when he saw something white from his peripheral. He stopped and glanced up to see the woman in the mask standing beside him.

Kagome didn't seem to notice either of them. She laid there seemingly defeated. But then amazingly, she struggled to rise. her arms trembled, pushing against the ground with nowhere near enough strength to complete the action. Still, her willpower was beyond admirable.

"Not ready to give up?" the woman in the mask asked the fallen girl.

"I can't give up," Kagome's voice answered. Her eyes focused on the woman with desperate determination. "If I'm going to die, I'm going to take that thing down with me. He knows Inuyasha's weaknesses. I can't just die and let Naraku get Inuyasha. I can't..."

The woman smiled and nodded. "I understand."

Relief filled Kagome's worn and bloody face.

The woman knelt beside the girl and reached out her hand as if to help her up. "I will lend you my aid," she assured Kagome. Within that vow, he heard hundreds of voices all echoing the same words in perfect unison louder and clearer than he'd ever heard them before. Hundreds of hearts all tied to one soul. But the strongest voice in the chorus was one he _knew_. It was Kikyo's.

Everything, even Kagome went black. There was a moment where Inuyasha stood alone and he wondered if that was all there was to see. But then there was a bright flash of light that forced him to cover his eyes with a sound of surprise. With the light, the entire clearing roared back into focus and intensified. Brighter and sharper than any of the other memories. Every leaf on every tree stood out perfectly, The sky no longer black but lit up with purples reds and blues. Every star perfectly defined. Kagome laid still on the grass for a moment and then she released a long heavy breath and slowly she started to push herself up to her hands and knees.

"Hmm? You actually have the strength to move? I _am_ impressed," the demon laughed. But he wasn't impressed enough to wait for her to stand. Instead, He drew a sword at his hip and swung directly at her head. There was a flash of light weaker than the first. Inuyasha watched in amazement as the sword shattered into a thousand pieces. The shards flew in every direction, embedding themselves in trees and crashing through the underbrush.

The demon dropped the hilt of the blade with a sharp hiss of pain and stumbled backward holding his shaking palm up to look at it. A deep burn marred the flesh there. He turned his eyes surprised and fearful back to Kagome. Around her was a barrier that glowed a bright almost blinding white. She released a deep breath and slowly, unsteadily she got to her feet. She stood there with her head bowed, just breathing hard.

"You were too greedy," she whispered in the echoing voice of the masked woman.

The barrier disappeared from around her and instead flared up around the entire clearing trapping the demon with her. It's glow illuminated the night forest around them. The incarnation hesitated and stared at her in confused fascination that was quickly making way for terror.

"If you had taken my life in exchange for Inuyasha's weaknesses you may have lived on."

Silently, she raised her head and slowly opened her eyes. A glowing opalescent gaze met the incarnation and flickered with an unshakable power just below the surface. She stared at the demon with a look of something like sorrow and determination. Then took a step forward. the ground beneath her bare feet lit up with a purifying light. Inuyasha watched with a primal satisfaction as every ounce of certainty and hope drained from the demon's face.

"What... What the hell?!" he began.

"But now... It's too late. You took too much, and now I have to kill you."

The monster took a step back and another, his eyes never leaving Kagome's face. "Listen! I-I wasn't really going to-"

"Don't worry," she interrupted in a deceptively gentle voice that seemed to echo in his ears. "I'm not like you or Naraku. It won't hurt for very long." And strangely she sounded sincere.

The miko raised a hand and before the humanoid beast could so much as blink. She flicked her wrist at him and he was instantly rendered to a bloody smear that covered the clearing. It was like a thousand blades slashed him all at once in every possible direction, and it wasn't just the incarnation that was caught in the blast either. All the samyosho were torn to bloody pieces too. Their fragmented bodies dropped throughout the area. Demon Blood and gore went everywhere. It splashed across the entire clearing and Kagome's body. And then everything was quiet.

Inuyasha watched in awe. This power was really inside of Kagome? All this time?

Still, disappointment was the next emotion he felt. The short easy death this demon had faced hadn't even compared to the slow horrible torture he had forced upon poor Kagome. And yet she had been merciful in her retribution. If he'd have been there he would have returned every hurt that bastard had visited on Kagome by a hundredfold. He wouldn't have ALLOWED the bastard to die. Seeing the creatures one small moment of fear had done frustratingly little to ease the rage and agony that tore through the hanyou's heart.

There was a moment where the girl stood there considering the spot where her enemy had stood. All that remained were the jewel shards and a bloody knife. The same one used to torture her just moments before. She picked up the bloody bottle of jewel shards by the cord and reluctantly draped it around her neck. Then she clutched her chest where the blade had cut through her turned and walked a short distance away, with each step blood dripped from her body and the ground lit up dully beneath her feet. Then she paused and looked up at the sky just as the sun started to peek over the treetops. She watched the sun rise as if she had never seen one before.

"I wonder if Inuyasha will cry for me when I'm gone?" she asked the sky faintly.

His eyes widened.

But she shook her head and laughed softly. "No. He probably won't cry. He's too old fashioned for that." Her expression softened. "I don't want you to cry Inuyasha," she whispered.

Anger and sorrow flared in his chest. If... No matter what he did she didn't survive... Would this be the last time he got to hear her voice?

In the next instant, she gasped quietly and crumpled to her knees. He automatically went to catch her but she slid right through. She caught herself with her free hand with a look of mild surprise. Beneath her knees and her hand, the ground glowed from her power. He stood beside her grasping at the air where she had passed through him and felt utterly helpless.

"I guess... I've already lost a lot of blood," she mused softly.

Hesitantly she drew away the hand clutching her chest and brought it in front of her face to see a pool of blood had formed in her palm. Inuyasha felt his stomach twist. The blood slipped through her fingers as she replaced her hand clutching the wound tighter and laughed again. "I have a feeling that if I could still feel pain I wouldn't be having such pointless thoughts right now."

Tears started to drip down her cheeks and her faint smile faded.

"This... This really isn't fair..." she whispered lowering her head still further in despair until her hair brushed the ground. "I wanted... to stay with you... I wanted to do so much more with you Inuyasha. Everyone... "

"You're going to." Inuyasha quietly promised her.

Kagome suddenly clutched her wound tighter and wobbled weakly. the light beneath her hands and knees died and With a soft gasp, she fell to her side in the exact position he had found her in that world went fuzzy.

She laid there dazed. tears still falling down her cheeks as she watched the sun rise. And then slowly, slowly her eyes began to flutter closed. The world eased into darkness again. Faintly he heard the sound of something like shards of glass hitting stone. It was over.

He was violently ejected back into the world of Kagome's soul with a tremendous splash, tumbling on his hands and knees into the water. He sputtered and coughed jerking his head up to snarl at the memory ready to tear it to pieces

But as he did so he stopped. Just beneath where the strange memory had floated was a bundle of shimmering white cloth and a mess of long black hair.

His eyes widened and he stumbled forward. Water splashed around him as he came to his knees beside her.

Her body was curled up just the way she had been in the clearing. But here she was unmarked by the bloody gashes and bruises that had marred her flesh in her physical body. Here her skin was flawless and clean and She wore a strange white garment that shimmered and shifted to other faint colors. Curled as she was it was difficult to tell what type of clothing it was supposed to be but it certainly wasn't her sailor uniform or a kimono. The fabric was so light that it flowed around her in the water. She looked like a sleeping celestial maiden.

Slowly he brought his hands up underneath her. One behind her neck, the other behind her knees and drew her up against his chest.

But once he'd gotten her there he realized something else was amiss. She wasn't breathing and she had no heartbeat.

In a panic, he carefully reached back to the real world to check on her physical form. To his relief, he still felt her warmth against his chest and still heard her slow even breaths and a faint heartbeat.

He released a long sigh of relief as he drew himself back into the dream completely. He stared down at his hard-won prize. As he looked he noticed that these new clothes of hers were see through. He blushed and pointedly ignored this discovery. Instead, his eyes focused on her peaceful expression.

"Kagome. just wake up already..." he murmured urgently, giving her a gentle shake.

She did not stir in the slightest. It looked for all the world like she was dead. His stomach twisted at the notion.

"Kagome, please... I need you to wake up... Just wake up."

There was a sound of footsteps through water at his side and he glanced over. The woman in the mask was standing beside him.

"Why isn't she breathing?" he asked softly, almost accusingly.

"Because she is incomplete," she answered simply in her strange echoing voice.

He looked up properly to watch the woman as he spoke to her.

"I did what you and Kaede told me to do," he told her stiffly "I dug into her memories. I held on. I didn't wake up. What else _is_ there?"

She held out her closed hand before them and opened it. A tiny golden flame no bigger than a grain of sand flickered there.

"Her spark," She explained. "It's the flame that ignited Kagome's life. "

She glanced over at him with a smile. "You have one too. Everyone does."

Inuyasha didn't respond.

"That night, Kagome stood on the precipice of death and she knew it. But even so, she refused to give in when she knew that to do so might mean your death as well. I was already starting to stir because of how close she was to dying but her desire to fight was what awoke me early. You saw the memory. There was a moment when everything went black. Remember?"

He nodded.

"That was the moment she gave me this," she told him, nodding toward the light.

"With it, I helped Kagome destroy her enemy with her last moments of consciousness. Then I used my power to keep her body alive."

"...Thank you." Inuyasha offered weakly.

She smiled and nodded.

"Now all that's left is that promise."

"If I return the spark to Kagome then she will live again, and I will once again become an energy not remembering anything until the day she truly dies. From that point on she will be completely at your mercy. As such I will not return the spark unless you promise to stay by Kagome's side and take full responsibility for her. If you _cannot_ promise such a thing then I cannot give back the spark. No matter how far you've come. You will just have to accept that it was Kagome's time to die and try to move on without her."

Inuyasha's eyes hardened and his grip tightened.

"But, since you _have_ gotten this far I'm certain that we both know what your decision will be."

The look melted a little. "Yeah." He answered softly.

She nodded and looked out at the scenery. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.

"The sunrise is new," she commented off hand. "That must be your's."

Inuyasha was taken aback. He looked up at the sky and was surprised to realize it had changed again. He hadn't even noticed it before. But... When he'd first seen Kagome laying in the water it had still been fairly dark. Now the sun was definitely coming up in the distance. The sky was lit up with red, blue and gold. the water reflected it all around. It was really beautiful.

"What?" he whispered.

She glanced back at him. "This place has never had a sunrise before. It's usually in twilight here, but It looks like your heart disagrees with the scenery."

" _I_ did that?" he asked in stunned fascination staring at the red and golden sunrise.

"Mhm. You know, Kagome's twilight was very pretty. But it always seemed a little lonely somehow." She smiled at him brighter now.

"If you think about it, it's sort of romantic. You made the sun rise In Kagome's heart." She giggled. "It sounds like a line in a cheesy romance book."

"...You think she'll like it?" he asked a little awkwardly.

she flashed him an apologetic look. "Well... sadly I don't think she'll ever get to see it like this. Once the spark is returned and she fully awakens the spell will break."

His ears wilted in disappointment.

"But... From now on she will always feel it," she told him softly. "And that is what's important."

Inuyasha managed a small smile in return. "Thanks."

There was a short moment of thoughtful silence as Inuyasha looked back up at the sunrise and then down at the girl in his arms. She laid there perfectly oblivious to what he was about to do to her. But no matter what... He couldn't give her up. Even from the beginning, without knowing how far she had gone for him he still would have given up anything to have Kagome back.

"Can she hear me?" he asked.

"Yes. But there is no guarantee she will remember everything from today. She's going to be disoriented."

"That's okay," he replied. "Even if she forgets. I won't. I can tell her again. As many times as it takes."

She nodded and then looked out at the sunset, politely giving him at least a small measure of privacy.

Inuyasha leaned down. His long white hair surrounded them like a curtain, hiding them away from everyone else.

"Hey, Kagome," he whispered. She didn't respond. He brushed his nose against hers and called still quieter. "Kagome... Come back with me," he ordered her gently, pressing his forehead back against hers now.

"I promise, I _swear_ if you come back with me I will stay with you for the rest of my life. Nobody will take me away from you. I'll take responsibility for you no matter what this spell does. I'll stay with you and protect you till the very end. So please..."

He stared down at her face, knowing something more needed to be said, and he knew what too. "Kagome," he called. "I _love_ you."

There was the sudden sound of a ragged breath being drawn and a heartbeat thudding to life, He pulled away to look at her more fully with wide hopeful eyes. She breathed hard, arching in his grip. Warmth spreading quickly through her body as she stirred. Inuyasha watched with fascination. Then without a second thought, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a joyful kiss of reunion.


	8. Chapter 8

Inuyasha came awake slowly. His body felt unusually heavy and drained. Like he hadn't slept all week. He groaned wearily and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Kagome's peacefully sleeping face inches from his own. He was laying on his right side on the straw futon with his right arm cushioning his head and his left arm resting on her belly. He wasn't surprised. Her presence at his side in the real world had been a small blessing in the face of so much heartache.

As he stared down at her everything he'd seen crashed over him.

The game she'd played as a child that had gotten her bullied. Her teacher's betrayal and Kagome's attempts to cover it up from him. Her memories of her father and his death. last, Her sacrifice and his promise.

He felt his head spinning as he rested his cheek against her forehead.

Kagome was his now. Or at least she would be soon. But... She looked human enough. Was this supposed transformation going to be delayed? Or was it just going to change her healing ability?

What was she going to think of all this? He had made her inhuman, how was she going to handle that?

He was startled out of his thoughts when a hoarse and weak voice whispered from his chest.

"Inu... Yasha..?"

His heart lifted at the sound of her voice, pulling away a little to look down at her face. Her eyes were still mostly closed and she still seemed very out of it but it looked like she was awake.

"Kagome? A-Are you okay?" he asked in a deeply worried and tired voice.

"Where am... I?" Her eyes opened a little wider, looking dazedly up towards his face.

He felt his body go rigid and his chest ache with guilt as he looked back. Her sky blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark of the room and were slitted just like his were.

He could already see the people throwing rocks at her her in his mind's eye. He could already hear their curses in his ears. What would their friends say when they saw? Would they pity her? Would they treat her differently?

She gazed up at him with bleary eyes. So blatantly unaware of what he'd done to her. So innocent and trusting of him. "What's wrong?" she whispered weakly.

He automatically erased the alarm from his face and slowly lowered himself at her side. Now was NOT the time to lose it.

"Nothing's wrong," he murmured as calmly as he could. He rested his chin on the crown of her head, his heart pounding in his chest with his guilt. "I was just surprised you woke up so soon."

She was either too worn out to notice his blatant lie, or to worn out to call it. Because she simply let it go to bury her face into his shoulder wearily. The action sent a shot of protectiveness through him.

He didn't say anything else. He couldn't. The reality of everything was hitting him hard. Would she change even more? It had only been a _one_ night and she already had slitted eyes. They _had_ to become mates soon. That was supposed to stop the transformation. But if she kept changing before they recovered... Even just a little more physically and she would never be treated as a human again. She'd be treated with hatred, disgust, fear...

And what killed him was that from the very start he had KNOWN what his decision would be. There was no way he was capable of killing Kagome even if the act could be considered merciful. That woman in the mask was right about him. He was greedy. He couldn't have killed her any more than he could throw away Tetseiga, Or cut off his right arm. Just the thought of having to endure her absence for a few _weeks_ made him feel sick to his core.

And the most twisted part about the situation was that secretly an overwhelming part of him felt _pleased_ with what he had done. Despite all the pain she was going to have to face because of the change, she wouldn't die before he did now.

He would never have to fear her mortality ever again. She would live just as long as he did, age the same way he did.

Kagome was going to be his. Forever. Just thinking about it made him ache with longing. Gods how he had wanted Kagome. Even when he believed it was an impossible wish. Still, a part of him had clung to the idea that maybe someday it would happen... If only it didn't feel like he had cursed her to do it. And if she kept changing, he essentially would have.

Kagome had admitted as much in her memories that she had loved him. She _had_ to have loved him to have been so unshakably faithful to him. And then she'd said in her last moments before she'd broken that she wished she could have stayed with him longer. But... If she'd known the _price_ for that wish, would she still have made it?

She'd have to watch her family and friends grow old and die now. Someday she'd have to live ostracized by other humans with only him and maybe Shippo for companionship. People would curse her, laugh at her, and flinch away in fear at her mere approach. Just like they did with him. And Kagome wasn't like him. Kagome loved people. When they **did** lash out at her it was going to break her heart.

He remembered the way she had cried and screamed for him as she'd been tortured. The way she'd gone so still when she'd almost died. Inuyasha squeezed the girl in his arms gently. _'I wish I could lock you up with me,'_ he thought miserably. It suddenly felt like there was so much more in the world that could hurt her. The humans in the village, The people of her world, Naraku and his incarnations...

Here in his arms, she was finally safe. But it seemed like every time he looked away she just got hurt again.

"Kagome go back to sleep okay? We'll talk about everything later."

"...Are you... Going to stay with me like this?" she whispered back sounding hopeful and confused.

He nodded into her hair, tucking her a little closer to him.

"After everything that's happened, you'll be lucky if I ever let go of you again," he admitted to her softly.

She gave him a worried look and sighed then buried her face against him. "I'm sorry I worried you Inuyasha."

Hearing her say that familiar phrase to him now almost made him laugh out loud In stress. He'd been so far past worried yesterday that he was certain he was going to have panic attacks every time she walked even five feet from him for the next _year_. She was going to _really_ be in for it the moment she started walking around again.

"Don't apologize to me. None of this is your fault. It's **my** fault Naraku hurt you so bad. For now, just focus on getting better."

"You're not hurt too are you?" she asked dazedly

"Thanks to you I'm not. Now sleep."

She went silent and he started to relax against her, ready for a dose of needed peace and quiet.

"For some reason..." she whispered. "I'm scared to go to sleep."

A chill ran through his heart at that quiet statement. The last time she had gone to sleep she had woken up in that clearing and been tortured. Maybe a part of her remembered that even if the rest of her memories of the last twenty-four hours seemed to be suppressed. He pushed himself upright and looked down at her frightened and pleading face. Her new demonic eyes shining back at him like twin jewels in the dark.

"Don't be," he whispered back. "Miroku and Kaede put seals all over this hut. The demon who hurt you is dead and I'll be right here with you all night."

"You promise?" she asked.

"I SWEAR you're safe. If anyone so much as looks at you funny after all this I'll rip their damned faces off," he growled menacingly.

That made her smile a little. "Thanks Inuyasha, I feel a little better."

He gave her a weak smile in return and leaned down, pressing his lips to her forehead in a gentle kiss.

He heard her breath catch in surprise.

"Sleep already," he commanded softly.

"O-Okay," she murmured back a little hesitantly.

As she relaxed, he nuzzled her subtly. After everything that he'd seen and heard... All the pain they'd gone through... He needed this. There was a deep-seated feeling that if he was parted from her for one solitary second he would go crazy trying to get back to her.

The man In him felt rattled by the entire experience and just wanted to collapse in relief beside her. But another part of him was still on guard as if expecting something else to come along and tear her away from him at any second.

He sighed, pressing his nose into her hair and laying his head down beside her.

Slowly, her racing heartbeat eased and her breaths deepened as she fell into a true sleep.

He wished he could follow her there but his head was buzzing with his thoughts.

Kagome had been shattered protecting him and he hadn't deserved it in the slightest. From the very beginning, he had torn Kagome down every chance he'd gotten. The image of his own mocking words carved into her flesh came to mind and made his chest ache. _"Bitch, shard detector, copy..."_ The image of himself glaring at her suspiciously came. The words " _See? She wants her wolf boy already,_ " echoed in his head maliciously. Images Of the times he had abandoned her sprang up. _"I'm sorry Kagome... You're just a human... Go home..."_ Just how deeply had he hurt her?

But despite all of it, She had sacrificed EVERYTHING she had for him. Her honor, her education, her world, her body, her soul...

And now it had all been put in his hands to do with as he pleased and it was intimidating.

Things would have to change. He HAD to find a way to show her it hadn't all been for nothing. That her sacrifices hadn't been in vain. He'd find a way to make her happy even if it killed him.

When it came down to it, his choice had been to go with Kikyo and let Kagome die, or save Kagome and abandon Kikyo. He honestly felt ashamed of just how easy the decision had been to make. He hadn't agonized over it at all. If it was just a question of who he wanted to be with most he would have chosen Kagome ages ago. He'd never really wanted to leave her. He'd always felt like he had to. He'd thought that Kikyo needed him more than Kagome did.

He'd always thought Kagome had a home, a family, and a bright future to go to. Kikyo didn't. Kagome could forget about him one day and marry someone better for her. Kikyou couldn't. Kagome might need his protection in his time but in the future she was... Safe.

All things he had once believed in wholeheartedly and now couldn't.

Her memories destroyed his naive ideas of her time. She wasn't safe there. Not from violence or rape or discrimination. Her father had died in a train accident. A risk Kagome took with her own life every time she needed to go somewhere in that world. Her teacher had tried to force himself on her in his classroom. Children had bullied her because of her powers. There, she had to live a life hiding that part of herself from everyone just the way she hid his ears with that hat. He'd understood it to a degree. People in her time didn't believe in demons. He could imagine how troublesome it would be if one just popped up out of nowhere. The people there certainly wouldn't keep treating him like a normal person anymore. But It hadn't occurred to him before watching those kids circle Kagome and kick dirt on her that if they didn't believe in demons then they might not believe in miko's either.

He'd been stupid to think her time was so much better than his, to think that once the quest was over he could just send her back to her time where she'd live some kind of perfect happy life in the lap of luxury. It seemed he couldn't send her home and he couldn't Leave her here alone either. All he could do was stay by her side.

"Hn..." the girl at his side murmured in her sleep, nuzzling her face against his shoulder wearily.

He couldn't help but smile at the action.

All he _wanted_ to do... was stay by her side.

(-)

For a little while, he just laid there with Kagome relaxing. But slowly more and more sun crept in through the window. However, he stayed still. He couldn't exactly get up and leave the hut with all the ofuda in place anyway.

About a half an hour later his left ear flicked to attention as he heard footsteps and the soft clink of metal rings on Miroku's staff as he approached the hut. Inuyasha opened his eyes and glanced down at Kagome's sleeping face. She still had one hand curled in his haori and her face was utterly relaxed. The image tugged on his heart strings ferociously.

He really wanted to stay right where he was until she woke up on her own. But he still had to explain what had happened before someone barged in and woke her up, and he had to get the hut stocked for a slightly longer stay.

He sighed, starting to gently unwind her hand from his clothes and noticed something odd. Her nails were longer than usual. narrowing his eyes suspiciously at her hand he carefully extended her fingers and examined them closer. On each finger was a pointed claw that matched his perfectly. He exhaled heavily at the sight. She wasn't done with her transformation yet by the look of things. He laid her hand down and silently pulled himself away from her sliding from the futon. She only made a small noise of protest and then thankfully seemed to resettle herself.

Turning away from her, he straightened out his clothes and waited at the doorway for their visitor to arrive. He didn't have to wait for long. As soon as the sutra on the outside of the door had been unsealed, Inuyasha slid the wooden door open slipped out and shut it quietly behind himself.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku exclaimed, obviously taking his friends now calmed demeanor to heart. "How is she? Did everything go smoothly?"

"Not so damn loud," Inuyasha muttered quietly. "You'll wake her up."

At this Miroku smiled brightly. "Wonderful my friend," he whispered back, ignoring the half demon's glare.

Inuyasha snorted and plopped down at the wall of the hut with Miroku following suit.

"So how is she? Miroku repeated more quietly now.

"Looks like she's going to be okay. But she's weak."

"Did she wake up?"

"Yeah, this morning. Right after I did."

"Wonderful. The others were worried that the preparations might have cost us too much time, but I had faith in you both," Miroku praised, slapping his friend on the back as if in congratulations.

Inuyasha grunted at the playful hit and gave his friend a serious look.

Miroku's expression slowly sobered. "Did something go wrong?" he asked.

"Could have been worse," Inuyasha replied.

The color drained from Miroku's face. "What happened?" he asked, glancing back at the hut behind them.

"Well first off a big part of my soul is still fused with Kagome's."

Miroku's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Big?" he parroted back. "This spell is only meant to fill in the spaces of a broken soul and pull it back together."

"Her soul was incomplete. Remember?"

Miroku's eyes widened. "Kikyo," he breathed.

Inuyasha nodded. "You and Kaede didn't even think about it, did you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Miroku flinched as if pained. "I'm sorry. It was all we could think of to do..."

"She's alive isn't she?" Inuyasha snorted. "You guys did everything you could for her. I ain't gonna get mad at you for that."

"...What side effects did you see?"

Inuyasha rearranged himself uneasily. "Well... It looks like she's becoming hanyou."

Miroku's eyebrows raised still higher in skepticism and Inuyasha gave him an entirely serious look in return.

"When she woke up her eyes were slitted and glowing like a demon's, and earlier I noticed she grew claws," he revealed seriously.

"I- But that's unheard of!" Miroku argued in a shocked voice.

"I've never heard of it happening this way before either," Inuyasha admitted gruffly. Honestly, he felt like he wasn't giving a very good explanation compared to the woman he had met in Kagome's soul. Although not many people could have beaten the broken cup trick she'd shown _him_.

"Just trust me, You won't be able to argue that she's still human after you see her."

"But shouldn't her level of reiki make that impossible?"

"Obviously that's not how it works because reiki or no reiki she has _claws,_ " Inuyasha growled.

"I am not doubting your word Inuyasha, it's just that... I never even fathomed that becoming hanyou could be the outcome of all this," The monk replied, looking out over the village with a puzzled and worried expression. "This has truly been a bizarre turn of events."

Inuyasha sighed. "We had no other options. It was this or letting her die. Nothing we can do about it now. Kagome and I'll just have to work it out even if she has to sit me to the center of the earth before she can forgive me."

"Why wouldn't she forgive you? Keade and I are the ones who miscalculated. She should only have us to blame."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I figured out what was happening before the spell took full effect and I still kept going. I made the final choice."

"We were still the ones who put you in that position my friend."

Inuyasha gave Miroku a grunt of indifference and there was a long moment of silence.

"Look," Inuyasha started roughly, drawing the monk's attention back to him. "She's doing better than she was, but she needs rest."

Miroku nodded. "And I assume you don't want any villagers or passerby to see her yet," he stated with a knowing and sympathetic look.

"That should go without sayin," he muttered in return.

Miroku nodded faintly. He understood how unforgiving this world was for stray half demons.

"We will send up some more supplies for the two of you but Kaede will still need to check her injuries. Even if she _is_ hanyou now they were still quite serious. The rest of us will wait to visit until you and Kaede are comfortable with it, "

The half demon nodded wearily.

For a little while, neither man said anything else. They just sat thoughtfully, watching the village stir while the sun inched higher In the sky. It was Miroku that broke the silence.

"Did Kagome seem alright with the transformation? Or has she yet to notice?"

Inuyasha sighed. "She hasn't figured it out yet. She was only awake for a few minutes."

"Then she's in for quite a surprise today I suppose," Miroku mused neutrally.

"Yeah... I give it less than two days before she snaps over something stupid and starts sitting me like crazy."

"Well in some cases getting angry can still be a far better reaction than becoming depressed or losing hope..."

Inuyasha snorted and turned his gaze to the ground. "Maybe if she did sit me a few hundred times I wouldn't feel like such a bastard," he murmured.

Miroku chuckled and patted his friend on the back.

"I think everything will work out. Lady Kagome is a very resilient person."

"That's true," Inuyasha replied unenthusiastically. He stood up. "Look, I wanna be there when she wakes up again."

"That's fine. We all just needed to know how things turned out. We'll have some breakfast for you both up in a little while."

"Thanks. And when you guys DO come visit her... Don't any of you _dare_ start joking about the way she looks."

"A joke like that after everything she's been through would be in extremely poor taste."

* * *

Authors note:

Thank you guys so much for the reviews! They _really_ inspire me and put me in a writing mood.

I actually have a lot done for this story I just haven't gotten around to finalizing the chapters. In the meantime tell me what you thought!


	9. Chapter 9

Kagome's body ached as she opened her bleary eyes and slowly looked around. The familiar plain wood walls of a hut were the first thing she noticed. That in itself made it easy to guess where she was, This was Inuyasha's time.

The girl sighed under her breath and continued to look around the room from her futon, too tired to move more than her head. Kaede's herbs were hanging around the room and a familiar shelf of medicine stood against the wall at the foot of the bedding. This was the place Kaede kept her long-term patients. She must have been severely injured to have been taken here...

She took stock of herself. Her chest and hips hurt the worst. Arms and legs hurt, head... Well her head didn't _hurt_. But she felt a bit confused and fuzzy about the last twenty-four hours... And Somehow, everything seemed brighter today. There were no candles and the curtains were closed, but she could still see everything in such rich detail... The grain of the wood floor, the faint dirty footprints, the dust on the curtains and the shelf...

Maybe after everything that had happened to get her into this room she was just soaking it all in out of sheer relief to be _alive_. To see footprints and dust at all... There was a nagging feeling In her heart whispering that by all rights she shouldn't be alive at _all_.

"You awake?"

The girl flinched in surprise and turned to look behind her. Inuyasha was there on her bedding, lounging against the wall and watching her carefully with his arms crossed.

She looked at him wide-eyed. The memory of him lying behind her on the futon, holding her last night shot through her head. His lips brushing against her forehead...

 _'That couldn't have really happened could it?'_

"I-Inuyasha..?"

"How are you feeling?" he asked, cutting her off. His expression was stern, prompting her to wonder if she had simply imagined the night before. True, he was sitting on the bed with her now but...

"My chest and my hips hurt but I'm fine," she replied, managing a tired smile.

The half demon's expression turned worried."Is it bad?"

She shook her head slightly. "No. I Think I'll be okay."

His eyes softened. "If it gets worse tell me okay?" he urged her gently. "For now, just stay still and rest."

She nodded and turned her head back to toward the rest of the room.

 _'Of course, he didn't kiss me last night Baka!'_ the miko scolded herself dejectedly. _'I must have just imagined it! Inuyasha would NEVER want to kiss ME even if it was just on the forehead.'_

For some reason, that thought stirred an angry heat in her. But... It wasn't HER anger... The feeling grew and stole some of her breath.

With the foreign feeling of anger came the sudden and strange memory of something warm and soft crashing over her lips roughly. _A kiss_. But not one she could distinctly remember. It definitely wasn't the chaste kiss she had shared with Inuyasha in Kaguya's castle. The feeling was fleeting and hard to describe. like a dream. Or maybe that too was simply her imagination.

Her face grew very warm.

"You sure you're okay?"

"I-I'm sure," Kagome replied, subtly pulling her blanket up to her eyes in an attempt to hide her blush. "I just feel a little weird today."

As soon as the words were out she subtly winced beneath her cover. The Inuyasha she knew would _never_ let her get away with a vague answer like _that_ without a more thorough explanation. However, today he surprised her.

"...They're gonna send our breakfast up soon," Inuyasha said simply, shooting her a suspicious look.

"Good, I think I'm hungry," she replied, grateful for the subject change.

He gave a faint snort and looked away from her thoughtfully.

"Look," he murmured, breaking the short quiet. "Before Kaede comes, I need to talk to you about what happened."

"...Sure," Kagome replied hesitantly. She wondered if he was going to try and tell her she needed to go back to her world again. It was the same tired argument they always had almost every time she got hurt here. And the worse the injury the harder he pressed. She sighed wearily, expecting the worst.

(-)

Inuyasha took a few seconds as he mentally prepared himself. He looked back at her worriedly. Her eyes made her look possessed. In a way, she was.

"First, I need you to promise me you won't get mad," he told her seriously.

She narrowed her newly demonic eyes at him slightly. "Why would I be mad?" she asked evenly.

"Just promise me," he urged her. "At least wait until I finish explaining if you're gonna start sittin me, okay?"

"...Okay, I promise," she replied a little reluctantly.

He nodded and reached out, taking her left hand in his right. Then he raised it up to her eye level and held it there. She looked toward their hands and blinked in surprise at the new claws that met her gaze. Her fingers splayed experimentally as they both watched.

"I-... What..?" she managed to murmur. Her expression was bewildered.

"...What do you last remember before waking up here?"

She looked down thoughtfully. Slowly their joined hands lowered to rest on her belly. "I... Remember going to sleep. And then after that, everything's... fuzzy."

There was a moment of silence between them that Inuyasha patiently waited for Kagome to fill in as things came back to her. However, she didn't seem to have any other remarks on the matter.

He'd had several hours already to plan out his explanation for her but he was nervous. And even as he sat there, he felt the details slipping away from him fast.

He cleared his throat. "An incarnation of Naraku's cast a sleeping spell on all of us and kidnapped you," he told her regretfully. "When I woke up at dawn you were... Just gone. It took us awhile to find you again and when we did you were laying in the middle of a clearing covered in blood and unconscious... You'd been tortured."

Her hand suddenly squeezed his tight.

"...There was a man with a knife... I think," she whispered with a far off look of confusion and pain.

 _'So she does remember, if only a little.'_

His hand squeezed hers back gently. She shook her head as if clearing away bad thoughts and looked at him pleadingly. "But... That just seems like a nightmare."

Inuyasha shook his head solemnly. "That was no nightmare."

"...The first reason you're alive is cuz you used a new power. You killed the demon and put up a barrier. But after that, you passed out."

He stared at her, remembering the gut-wrenching worry he'd felt when he'd found her there. "When we found you I managed to talk you into lowering the barrier and then I carried you back to Kaede's as fast as I could. She treated your injuries,"

"I don't feel that hurt," she told him with a look of confusion.

"There's a reason for that. But trust me it was BAD. She said that you were probably going to die within a few hours."

Kagome gave him a sympathetic look, her thumb stroking over the back of his hand comfortingly.

He looked down at their intertwined fingers solemnly. Her claws glared back up at him but at the moment, he couldn't find it in him to feel guilty about it. Right now he just felt relieved to be holding her hand at all. It was terrifying to think of just how close he had come to losing Kagome forever.

"You were stabbed and sliced up all over. But Keade said what she was most worried about was that the demon had used a power on you that shattered your soul. ...From there it got confusing for me," he admitted, flashing her an apologetic look. "But basically, Keade and Miroku cast a spell to try and give you some of someone else's soul to fix yours."

With a flicker of surprise and confusion, Kagome subtly looked at her claws and then back at his face.

"Your's," she replied, still looking a bit baffled but clearly not about her conclusion.

He nodded. "They tried Sango and Miroku first since they're humans. But you wouldn't let em in. And I guess they figured since it was me you lowered your barrier for, I was their only solid chance."

"Then, If I'm alive now, that must mean you succeeded. So... I have some of your soul inside of me?"

"Yeah."

"Then these really are claws, not just longer nails than I was expecting."

It was moments like these that reminded him how intelligent she was. He'd been honestly expecting to fumble over more of an explanation for her at this point but she had mostly figured it out on her own, At least to a degree. And still more surprising, she hadn't started yelling... yet.

His ears wilted a little and he looked away. "Yeah, it Made you hanyou... like me."

She sat silently for a moment, just staring at him with a dumbfounded expression before looking back at their hands thoughtfully.

"So, Is this a temporary thing or..?"

"It's permanent," he murmured apologetically. Those two words felt heavy, lifechanging.

His miko said nothing in reply. She just stared up thoughtfully at the roof of the hut.

"...Are you angry?" he asked softly.

"No," she replied evenly, squeezing his hand again. She glanced back over at him giving a tired smile. "Don't tell me you were that worried about me waking up to claws?"

"It's not just claws," he admitted wearily.

"Well, your healing ability to I assume. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible for me to feel so well when I was apparently at death's door just last night."

"Your eyes," he told her reluctantly.

She blinked in surprise and quickly glanced away looking embarrassed.

"What do they- I mean... what color?"

"They're still blue. But they sure ain't human anymore."

"Does it... look bad on me?" she asked timidly.

He instantly straightened up almost as if he were offended. "You're beautiful," he answered her firmly.

That pair of shining blue eyes fixed on him again instantly. This time in shock. Both of his hands found hers and squeezed.

"I mean it," he told her with a look of determination.

She looked away again, blushing now.

"I-I didn't know it was possible for a human to become a hanyou," she squeaked, refusing to look at him.

Inuyasha frowned and gave her a stern look but allowed her to change the subject. If she was embarrassed he could ease up on her a little, besides they still had a hell of a lot to talk about.

"Onigumo did it," he answered, copying the words he'd himself been told.

"I guess so," she relented, looking relieved. "But didn't he get _eaten_ in the process?"

"As if I would ever eat you," he answered roughly. "I shared my youki with you. Demons are mostly energy anyway and if that energy is placed in a body that accepts it you get a half demon. Or something like that. I already told you it got confusing."

"So... I'm compatible?"

"I guess. At least enough to let us cast the spell in the first place. But I really don't understand how it's all supposed to work." Inuyasha's left hand removed itself from her right to run through his bangs as he let out a frustrated breath.

"...Not long after they connected our souls, I found out mine was doing a hell of a lot more than just pull you back together. It was trying to fill up the gap that Kikyou's soul left behind. Nobody really took into account that you don't have some of your soul before we cast the spell," he admitted. "And Maybe things would have turned out the way we all expected em too if you _did_ have all of it. But I don't know. Maybe if we'd all stopped and thought about it a little longer we would'a realized how reckless we were being. But we were on a time limit... If we hadn't moved fast you would have died."

He took a deep breath. "I was the one who made the final choice on whether I should bring you back as a hanyou or let you die."

She opened her mouth to say something but he removed the hand from his hair and held it up to silence her. Her mouth shut itself and he lowered the hand to rest on his knee.

"But it was bigger than that. I know what it's like to be on your own as a half demon, and I could never **ever** do that to you. I knew if I brought you back like this I had to take responsibility."

"It turned into a choice between letting go of Kikyo or letting you die."

Her eyes widened.

"And I'm alive," she breathed, looking at him in open disbelief.

He stared at her intently. When she didn't seem to react negatively he smiled at her slightly.

"You're alive," he reaffirmed. "And looks like you're stuck with me now."

"But... don't you love Kikyo?" she asked in a frail voice.

He gave her a long look. "I did once," he answered seriously. "But No, Not for a long time now."

"Then why did you never say anything?"

"I thought that she needed me more. That it would have been cruel to make her die alone again," he replied, casting her a look of pleading. "I thought that you could just go home and forget me one day. You know, Marry someone better for you. Someone who could give you a better life than I could."

She said nothing to that confession. But her silence didn't rattle him. He'd seen enough of her mind to know the idea of her going home and forgetting about him after everything was over was just ridiculous.

"I know better now," he told her, shaking his head. "I never really _wanted_ to go with her. It was more about justice than anything. But now I'm convinced that even if I did go it wouldn't actually help her." He gave a soft sigh. "I'll explain the situation to her and tell her I'll protect her if I can, but... there's no way I'm leaving."

He looked up from his depressing thoughts and gave her a piercing stare. "I've gotta watch out for you now."

She stared at him in shock and confusion. He couldn't really blame her for being speechless. This was a lot to hit the poor girl with all at once. But he was heartened to realize she had never let go of his right hand.

"...A-Anything else?" she asked a little hesitantly.

"Yeah, So long as you remember you promised not to sit me until I was done," Inuyasha reminded her.

The girl blinked and then sighed softly. "You're safe, I haven't forgotten."

The half demon shifted anxiously.

"I was... Sort of told that we'll need To balance everything out by... Mating."

Her face went beet red again and she leaned away from him.

"W-why on earth would we need to-?" she asked in a tiny panic stricken voice.

"It's not like this hasn't already bound you to me," he growled in embarrassment. "Mating IS binding two souls together and that's basically what happened. As far as I can tell, the only difference is that this is one sided. I'M not bound to you right now. "

"But Isn't mating like... The Demon version of marriage?" she squeaked.

 _'So she knows about that?'_ Maybe Sango or Keade had sat her down. But calling mating a demon's version of marriage was a _very_ simplistic explanation. So maybe she had gotten her information from Shippo then.

"It's more than just a version of marriage," he informed her simply. "It's an old spell with blood that certain kinds of demons use to bind themselves together forever. Absolutely no going back. For human and demon pairs it would only change a human's lifespan to be a little longer. But you're already _well_ past that," he snorted.

"What happens if we _don't_ mate?" she asked a little rebelliously.

He gave her a short look of irritation. "Well first, you'd be pissing me off because I _know_ you'd just be doing it to be stubborn. But the main thing is I'm not in control of the energy I gave you. Right now it's keeping you held together and given you my healing ability. But not long down the road, it's probably going to start taking over until this turns into a full-blown possession."

"A possession?"

"You know when I'm a full demon?" he asked seriously. " **That's** a possession."

Her eyes widened in fear and she rapidly looked away. Slowly Inuyasha's look of irritation eased and softened as the guilt returned.

"...I'm sorry," he murmured. "The only choice I can give you is to let it happen or become my mate."

"That's not a _choice_ ," Kagome answered in a small frail voice.

His heart ached. "...It's better than being dead, right?" he asked pleadingly.

She didn't answer him. This time, her silence was cutting.

Inuyasha's shoulders wilted. "...Are you mad _now_?" he asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"No," she murmured. "I don't like being forced. But you did the best you could for me. I can't fault you for that."

"Kagome the last thing I want is for you to feel _forced_ into this. If I'd had a better choice than let you die or make you a hanyou you KNOW I woulda taken it."

"... I know," she answered softly.

"...I promise I'll take care of you," he told her coaxingly. "You won't have to worry about Kikyo or your school or that damned Sensei of yours or anything else ever again."

She stiffened. "My... Sensei?"

"The **creten** that tried to rape you last time you were home," he replied with a stern look.

Her eyes widened and her head whipped around to stare at him awestruck.

"How did you..?"

"I saw it while we were connected," he revealed. "I had to watch start to finish while that slimy bastard insulted you and attacked you, and I couldn't do a damned thing about it."

She seemed to slowly shrink away from him with every word, but his grip on her hand had turned into a vice.

"You have no idea how furious I was at that piece of shit," he growled quietly. "Or how fucking glad I was that you got away. And then I watched you _lie_ to me." He looked at her with frustration but she couldn't seem to meet his eyes anymore. She looked away shamefaced.

"And then You quit school without telling me and refused to ask me for help in restoring your Honor. "

"I could have never asked that of you," she replied softly.

"Yes, you could have!" he argued.

"What would I have said?" she asked weakly. "Hey, Inuyasha I need a big favor? Could you pretend to marry me in my world so people won't call me a _slut_ for going to your world all the time?"

"No matter how you asked me you know I would have done it for you," he replied simply.

She winced slightly at his calm tone.

"You know the real reason why I never asked," she whispered, looking away with an upset expression. "You already have Kikyo. It would have felt too much like asking you to _cheat_. I know if I were in her place I wouldn't have been okay with it. Fake wedding or no."

"I already told you Kikyo isn't a part of this anymore," he growled.

"She was at the time."

"And what about telling me about that bastard sensei of yours? Were you _really_ going to just brush that under the rug?"

"...Yes," she answered honestly.

He growled at her. ' _Stupid girl.'_

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Even though you were afraid..." he uttered in quiet frustration. "Even though I was _so_ close. You never reached out to me." His soft hurt tone made her hide her face away from him even more.

His hand squeezed hers and tugged it a little closer to him. "I don't want you to live in fear like that," he murmured. "Not ever. Do you understand me?" She glanced back at him with a surprised and mournful face.

"If you were really so worried that I'd just take off on you to go beat the shit out of that **bastard** no matter what then..." He paused and growled, looking away to push his bangs from his face with his free hand.

"Then... I'll prove myself **now**. I'll do what you want me to do and stay out of it. I won't go after the bastard unless you absolutely need me to... Okay?" She gave him a look of stunned surprise. "And... I admit... You handled yourself fine on your own," he said, if begrudgingly. "You fought back, you escaped, you told the people you knew would handle it. But I **still** wish to Kami you'd have told **me** because the absolute worst thing to watch was you crying alone when you needed me!"

She turned back to look at him with wide eyes.

"Even if you don't want me to avenge you," he continued. "You've _always_ been there for me. I want to be there for you like that. I can't stand the thought that I drove you so far away from me that you didn't even feel like you could come to me for a fucking hug after nearly being raped."

Inuyasha lowered his head. "That tears me apart."

And then seemingly to her own surprise, tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry" Kagome repeated with more emotion this time. "I _wanted_ to go to you but..."

"I know," he said, cutting her off gently. "I could hear it in your head. I'm an impulsive idiot. I fucked things up with you that time with Kouga," he admitted.

"I don't blame you for thinking I'd overreact. I can't always help it, And jumping to a fight when I'm pissed off may not be such a bad reaction when it comes to _demons_... But humans are different. He may have been a rapist piece of trash that would have deserved being torn limb from limb but he's still human, if only barely. So I'll let you handle it your way. But if the people in your time don't keep him away from you I'm NOT letting it slide."

"I understand."

Some of the frustration left him at her willingness to compromise. He nodded clearly pleased with her answer. "Now promise me you won't lie to me like that again," he pressed her with a look of determination.

She looked down at their hands thoughtfully.

"...Do you always tell me the truth?" she asked quietly.

He was silent.

"I already know you lie to me. A lot."

She gave him a sad look. "Even if you're bleeding. You always tell me you're fine. But if you want me to rely on you more then I need you to show that you won't take on all the weight of our worries by yourself."

Her right hand reached up to tentatively cup his cheek and he leaned down a little to facilitate her.

"You already shoulder so much," she murmured. "And I think you do it for the same reasons I do. Neither one of us wants to look weak, We don't want to be pitied and we want to protect each other."

She smiled a little. "If you want me to always tell you the truth, then I want you to be truthful with me too. I want us to be equal. Okay?"

"...Fine. I'll try."

"Then I'll _try_ too."

He quietly let out a huff of dissatisfaction but didn't argue further. He knew firsthand Kagome was stubborn as an ox when it came to things like this.

There was a sharp knock on the door of the hut that made Inuyasha jerk his head in the direction of the sound and glare at it accusingly. "Who is it?!" he snapped loudly.

"Tis I and Miroku," called back Kaede's voice. As usual, she was unconcerned with his rudeness. "We have come with thine breakfast and Kagome-chan's next treatments."

Inuyasha glanced down at the girl calculatingly. She too looked away from the door to glance back at him smiling faintly when their eyes met. Then she lowered her hand from his face. "We better let them in."

The half demon sighed and let go of her hand before rising to his feet.

This was going to be a long trying day. He could feel it.

* * *

Author's note:

Sorry for this taking so long to update This chapter kept getting put on the back burner so I could get more done on The Half Breed's Wife, pure and simple. :/

Man, as soon as I post this I just know I'm going to read back over it and see a million mistakes. (sighs) look forward to a better-updated version in a couple of days I guess.

(I don't have a beta so if you are interested PM me!)

While you wait for the next update try reading one of my other stories or shoot me a review and tell me how I'm doing so far! I find as soon as I do read a good review it instantly puts me in the mood to write again. But even if you don't review Thanks for reading! I'm having a lot of fun writing this.

-Gypsyn

Edit: I have a beta now!


	10. Chapter 10

It took some time to convince Inuyasha to leave the hut so that Kagome could be properly examined. He was in absolutely **no** mood to leave her side at the moment, which nobody would have found terribly unexpected considering the stress he had been under the last twenty-four hours, but the old woman's surprise at how altered Kagome looked upon entry hadn't _helped_ his temperament.

The moment Kaede's one good eye fixed on Kagome, it widened in surprise.

"I see... it is just as Miroku said," she murmured in awe. At that, the poor girl shifted uncertainly, looking up at Inuyasha for some reassurance. But in response to her worried glance, Inuyasha turned from his intended mate to deliver the old priestess a livid glare, "I'm not letting you in here to goddamn talk about the way she looks!" he snarled defensively, moving to block the girl from view.

From there, it had taken some serious coaxing to bring him back down to his former state of simple uneasiness, and he _definitely_ still wasn't pleased about being shooed out of the room. In the end, it was only Kagome's insistence that finally weakened his conviction.

"Poor Inuyasha," the old woman sighed after the door snapped behind him. "He's taken all this very hard."

"I see that..." Kagome murmured, staring after him sympathetically as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. "I think he was beating himself up over it all morning too."

"Inuyasha does tend to shoulder more than his fair share in matters like this."

Kagome sighed and nodded, then looked over at Kaede again.

"I uh... I don't suppose you have a mirror with you?" she asked timidly.

Outside, Inuyasha's aura darkened broodingly. He had clearly heard Kagome's question and was less than pleased about it. But at the very least he didn't fling open the door and interrupt with more shouting and growling, so they both took that as a good sign.

Keade nodded to the young miko and reached into her basket to pull out a round hand mirror with a simple handle. Just beyond the walls of the hut, they heard Miroku's reassurances that everything would be fine and a faint grunt from the dog demon.

"After Inuyasha and Miroku's talk this morning, I thought it more than likely that ye might want to see the changes for thyself," Kaede explained, extending the mirror toward the girl.

Kagome gave the old woman a grateful smile and gently took the mirror in her hands. "Thank you."

Keade nodded and watched as the young miko turned hanyou hesitantly brought the mirror up and looked into it.

The eyes that looked back at her from the glass instantly widened in surprise at their own bright vivid blue. The slit was a strange addition to see as well, but not unexpected thanks to Inuyasha's warning.

She felt like she was looking at herself wearing halloween contact lenses. But at the same time, the detail was far too real.

 _'No wonder Inuyasha was so anxious.'_

She held back a sigh, knowing full well that he was listening hard for her reaction and likely expecting the worst. Kagome looked at her new eyes again.

"Inuyasha told me that I was beautiful," she said softly.

The old woman smiled. "I dare say, he is correct."

Inuyasha's aura relaxed some.

(-)

As soon as Kagome's bandages were changed, Inuyasha was allowed back inside and he carried a basket in with him that smelled of soup, but to Kagome's surprise, Miroku did not follow him in. Instead, the door snapped closed shutting their friend outside.

"Kagome-chan is doing much better today," Kaede reported, smiling at the dog demon with satisfaction.

He plopped down on Kagome's right where she was sitting propped against the wall. The basket of food he placed down on his other side.

"Not surprised," he replied, looking her up and down thoughtfully. "You smell healthier than last night too."

Kagome smiled brightly. "Then I was wondering if the others can-"

"No," he interrupted firmly with a sudden dark look.

Her smile fell a little. "But-"

"NO," he snarled still more firmly. "If everyone else knows what's good for em, they'll stay the hell away until you've recovered."

"But why?" she complained in a clearly upset voice. She looked to Kaede for help but the old woman shook her head.

"Ye are doing better, yes, but rest is still vital. Better we listen to Inuyasha."

Kagome's shoulders slackened a little at Kaede's sensible advice but she still shot her a look of pleading.

The old woman chuckled. "Besides, It may be _Inuyasha_ who needs the quiet more than ye do and we can both see he is not ready to leave thy side."

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise at the idea and turned back to her companion questioningly.

"You talk too much old woman," Inuyasha growled back resentfully.

Kagome gave the half demon a worried look that went ignored, then she sighed, knowing Kaede was most likely right. Inuyasha _did_ seem very stressed. Maybe having the others around would just make things worse...

"Okay," she agreed wearily. "I'll wait, for now."

Kaede nodded and turned back to Inuyasha. "I dare say someone will be up with thine food again at noon."

He gave a grunt of acknowledgment but said nothing else. At that, she left the two of them alone and joined Miroku outside. As soon as their footsteps had faded a little Inuyasha turned to their breakfast and started to dish out the food.

(-)

"...Hey," Kagome murmured, staring down at her untouched soup absently.

Inuyasha paused, lowering his wooden spoon before turning from his own meal to look at her. "Is something wrong? You're not eating."

"No," she replied, nudging her fish around in the bowl with her own spoon. "I was just wondering about something."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. "Wondering about what?" he asked.

"You said... You saw my teacher attack me."

Inuyasha frowned in distaste and turned back toward his bowl. For someone who claimed she didn't want a man _maimed_ she had a funny way of showing it, bringing that bastard up now.

" _And_?" he scowled.

"What else did you see?"

He blinked and looked back at her. She was still staring down at her food, her expression far away and thoughtful.

After a moment of silence where he did not answer she turned to look at him. "I get the feeling that while we were under that spell, you might have seen something else that upset you."

Images flashed in his mind of Kagome being stabbed and sliced up but he kept his expression schooled.

"...I saw a lot of stuff," he replied vaguely.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" she asked. "I won't get mad at you."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, he surprised her by saying "...Yeah, I do," Then he glared at her full bowl. "So long as you **eat.** "

Kagome cast him an apologetic smile and nodded, looking down to take her first bite.

"First... I saw you as a little girl," he relayed, watching her progress with the meal carefully. "You were playing a weird game with some other kids. They made a circle around you and were singing a song with your name in it. You kept winning the game but everyone started saying you'd cheated."

Inuyasha frowned bitterly. "Then some brat kicked dirt on you."

He took on a more agitated look but his voice grew a little softer. "You fell down, and when you tried to get away the other kids wouldn't let you." Kagome reached over and touched his hand soothingly. At the contact, he took a deep calming breath. "After that, they let you run away and you cried," he finished.

She looked down at their hands thoughtfully, "The other kids used to make fun of me a lot for my name when I was little," she replied simply.

"But that's not what they were doing," he said, intercepting her eyes with a meaningful look. "They were mad at you for _winning_ the game."

She went quiet for a moment then sighed, pulling her hand away to pick back up her spoon. "Sometimes... I just did things like that. Nobody could explain it, let alone me, And sometimes it made people angry and upset. But now that I know I'm a miko and have certain powers, a lot of the strange things that happened to me as a child make perfect sense. Seeing things nobody else could see... Knowing things I couldn't have possibly known... I always win that game even if I try to lose. The name just pops into my head and I end up blurting it out. It even scared _me_. So I just stopped playing those kinds of games."

Her eyes found his again. "I'm sorry you had to see that Inuyasha," she apologized.

He snorted softly. "It's fine. I'm the one who should apologize to you for lookin."

She smiled slightly and took a bite. "But you haven't yet," she reminded him after she had swallowed.

"And I won't," he replied stubbornly. "Lookin is what saved your life. No matter what, I'm not sorry for that."

Kagome blushed and mumbled, "You know... That was a pretty tame memory for you to have seen. I mean... I wouldn't have minded telling you about it if you'd asked."

A pair of white dog ears perked. "Really?"

"Really," she affirmed with a smile. Inuyasha smiled a little in return and nudged her hand holding the spoon. She sighed and took a bite of her food, then another.

"So what else did you see?" she asked.

He thought about it and his posture wilted a little. "I saw you get the news of your father's death."

She frowned. "They weren't ALL terrible memories were they?"

"No. There were a few times you'd played with your toys and what I _think_ was the first time you rode a bike."

He blushed. "And uh, a time you and I shared my haori by a fire."

She smiled at that.

"But there were more bad ones," he conceded. "The thing with your teacher was next I think, and then I saw a memory of you with your father."

Her eyes widened. "I... My dad?" she murmured in shock.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"What was he like?" she asked urgently, watching him with rapt attention. "What did he look like? What did he say?"

"You really don't remember?" Inuyasha asked softly.

Kagome's expression fell and she turned back to her food in thought. "...I remember some things," she said faintly. "I sort of remember the smell of his cologne, and a few of the toys he gave me, but... that's all."

Inuyasha's heart sank. That only made the memory all the more bittersweet. Not only would her father never get to see his daughter grow up or get to protect her, someday she wouldn't even _remember_ him.

"Could you actually see him?" she asked hopefully. "Was the memory damaged?"

"It was all clear. I heard every word," he answered.

A look of surprised joy lit her features. "So... what happened in the memory?" she asked hopefully.

"It was night, and you two were just sittin under the god tree talking," he recalled. "He said you were gonna grow up to be beautiful,"

Inuyasha smiled slyly. "He was right."

Kagome blushed a bright red and looked back at her food in her lap. Inuyasha's smile widened.

"He had a scar on his cheek and he was braggin about how he had a 'rap sheet' a mile long. But he seemed like a good guy and he seemed like he really loved you."

Kagome said nothing but Inuyasha started to faintly smell tears so he hurried his description along. "And then he went off telling you not to let "some stupid boy" break your heart when you grew up, and if someone DID break your heart, then he'd have to kill em."

"Good thing he never met you huh?" she instantly replied with a small grin.

"Yeah, I got that impression," he sighed before shooting her an irritated look. "Then you said that if it made him sad then you'd **never** get married, and just so you know, you and I ARE getting married in your time and restoring your honor."

The girl raised her hands in mock surrender. "I couldn't have been more than four when I said that," she said defensively. "I don't think I even really knew what marriage _was_ at the time. Don't get mad at me for something I said when I was still practically a baby."

Inuyasha snorted and continued. "So then he told you it was okay if you did get married, and that it would be better for you to be free. And then he said that you were both like cats."

"Cats?"

"He said you were both like cats cuz you go where you want, and if someone tries to stop you, you'll fight for it."

She laughed quietly and looked down into her bowl again. There was a long pause where Inuyasha stopped his rendition of the conversation and finished off his food.

"I wish I could remember," Inuyasha heard her whisper to herself sadly.

He paused "...You do in a way." Inuyasha replied. She looked at his face just as he was setting the bowl aside. He fixed her with an intense golden stare.

"His memory is still inside you," Inuyasha said softly. "You never let it go, it just got covered up."

Her smile widened and tears started to pool in her eyes. She reached up with her right hand and brushed them away sniffling.

"Thank you, Inuyasha. For telling me," she said in an emotional voice.

A sense of pride bloomed in the half-demon's chest. "You okay to hear the rest?" he asked gently.

She nodded.

"Well, after that you saw a shooting star and told him you wished to marry a prince that would fight dragons for you."

She laughed out loud at that. "How did he react?"

"He said you were probably setting yourself up for disappointment. But you were really persistent."

"Little girls can be that way," she replied mysteriously.

a little of his prideful look flickered away as he paused. "... Am I what you wanted Kagome?" he asked uncertainly.

She appeared surprised by his telling question but watched him seriously.

"I'm not a prince like in your story's you tell the runt," he continued, lowering his ears. "I'm not even human. I-"

He was interrupted by Kagome's sudden burst of hysterical laughter.

His eyebrow twitched in irritation and he struggled with himself not to snap at her. "What the hell is so funny?" he ground out even as he blushed.

"I think you're the EXACT kind of man I would have dreamed up for myself as a child," she laughed, looking at his surprised expression with a pair of happy and shining eyes.

His ears perked. "What? Really?"

"Really," she replied, grinning broadly. "If someone had told me then that when I grew up I was going to marry a man with long white hair, golden eyes, and adorable dog ears I _know_ I would have been ecstatic." She let out a soft giggle. "I would have counted down the _minutes_ waiting to meet you."

"You must be crazier than I thought," Inuyasha grumbled with a look of embarrassment.

"Or I have good taste," she teased, taking another bite of her soup.

* * *

Authors notes

11/14/16

I know it's been awhile since I last updated this story. I haven't forgotten about it, promise! it's just that lately, I've been focusing on T.H.B.W. :/

(And also that I hate writing meals so much... )

The next chapter should be a LOT less tedious for me to do at least so that's something.

Edit:11/24/16

The new cover art is by Grapefruitwannabe! Thank you so much, it's beautiful!

Edit: 3/3/17

Good news! My next two updates are going to be dedicated to ending this story. I know it's been a long wait but I'm working on the ending for this story around the clock and I expect it to be done within the next two months, or maybe even sooner.


	11. Chapter 11

Inuyasha focused on the ground as he walked, trying hard to shut out everything.

The scent of blood, the desperate pleading cries that echoed through the trees around him... The guilt.

But when she managed to choke out his name he couldn't help but look back. Her face, splattered with blood and streaked with tears, was only made all the more heart-wrenching by her pleading expression as their eyes caught.

"I-Inu... ple-please..." she begged breathlessly.

He stared back helpless. The words, ' _I can't save you_ ,' rose up in his throat. But he couldn't say them. Maybe he could have saved her... _'If I hadn't gone to sleep... If I'd just stayed awake. Spell or no spell, I SWORE to protect you, and I...'_

The black haired demon raised its Knife drawing her attention again. "O-Oh, please..!" she sobbed out again, the last traces of hope in her eyes flickering out with every second he hesitated.

Inuyasha leaped forward, the world a blur of dark colors as he released an anguished roar and swiped viciously at the creature with his claws.

He was left grasping at air the same as always. But this time, instead of harmlessly passing through, the demon vanished like a thin cloud in a breeze.

He whipped around just in time to see the rope at Kagome's wrists and neck vanish and in an instant, he'd reached forward to pull her into his arms before she could hit the ground. Only when he felt her full weight against his chest did he dare to release a breath of relief.

Finally, she was safe.

But his relief was short-lived as she clutched at his haori and sobbed into him. He dropped to his knees to pull her closer, cradling her head to his shoulder, reeling as he tried to compose himself.

"Kagome..."

"H-How could you?" she cried miserably.

His eyes shot open wide and his arms stiffened. "I..?" he whispered with a small tired voice.

She slowly pushed herself away and looked up at him with a heartbroken expression in her bright blue _demonic_ eyes. Something cold filled him.

"How could you do this to me?" she asked, staring up at him with a look of confused betrayal.

Inuyasha's heart constricted. "You... You said you wanted a little longer with me..."

Tears filled her eyes again.

"I didn't ask for hundreds of years!" she sobbed. "I didn't ask to LOOK like something I'm not! I didn't ask you to change me!"

"I KNOW you didn't!" he argued desperately. His hands ran over her shoulders, trying to console her. He didn't know what else to **do**. His voice softened once more in an attempt to sound calm. "I only... I'm just doing the best I can..." he pled.

"...Liar," she whispered. Tears were rolling down her bloodstained cheeks in earnest now. For all her softness, she might as well have screamed it at him. "You're _happy_ about what you did to me. You're GLAD I can't run away to my world. That I won't grow old and die like the others now!"

He stared down at her with wide eyes, his whole body tensing. Unable to argue, unable to deny the truth of her words. "You let that monster HURT me," she cried, and again he had no defense. "You promised to protect me and you didn't!" Inuyasha dared not speak. Because of course, she was right. He didn't deserve her. This was all his fault. The months of misery he'd put her through, her torture, making her hanyou…

Kagome's voice broke as she sobbed out, "I HATE you Inuyasha!"

* * *

Inuyasha bolted away from the wall he'd been sleeping against with a gasp, looking around the dark space with wild eyes, fully expecting to see trees and the red eyed demon. Kagome bound and bleeding... or almost worse, her looking up at him with that expression of betrayal in her eyes.

He shuddered even as the walls of the hut started to come into focus around him. _'A nightmare,'_ he realized slowly. Although he knew that wasn't really true. Kagome growing to hate him was still a very real possibility.

"Inuyasha?" whispered a quiet sleepy voice just to his left.

He took a few deep breaths, still testing his surroundings. But he did not dare look at her yet. Even so, a warm solid hand crept from under the covers to wrap around his fingers.

"Are you okay?" she asked, voice thick with concern.

"M'fine," Inuyasha lied in a soft mumble. But even as he said it, he wanted to throw up. His stomach felt hard. Like all his muscles were too tense. ' _How could I let that happen to you?'_ he wondered, daring to glance at her through his hair. A pair of bright blue eyes stared up at him with worry.

Her thumb rubbed the back of his, offering some small comfort. "Did you have a nightmare?" she prodded gently.

"Yeah," he admitted, if reluctantly. "Just... a bad dream."

Kagome's frown deepened a little and she carefully pushed herself upright, looking around. "Is it... morning?" she asked, looking a bit confused.

"It's the middle of the night," he muttered softly. "You should go back to-"

"But everything's so bright," she interrupted quietly. "And there are no candles."

Inuyasha blinked and looked up in surprise at her statement. She turned and looked back with her new reflective blue gaze. Had not just her appearance changed, but her eyesight too?

Wanting to test her, he pulled his free arm away from her at a distance he felt would have given a normal human trouble to see in this level of darkness and held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.

"Three," she answered automatically. "I can see your hand perfectly."

"Okay..." He glanced around the barren hut for something a little harder to test her with. "How many of Miroku's ofuda do you see on the walls?"

She looked around the room. "Seven" she replied after a moment. "...And one on the ceiling."

Her answer left him a little stunned. It was hard enough to process just her physical changes as it was. Kagome getting his eyesight wasn't even something he'd really considered.

The girl smiled at his expression of stunned surprise. "Does that mean I'm seeing in the dark right now?"

"It looks... like it."

Her smile broadened. "You know, I've always wondered what your eyesight's like," she told him smilingly. She looked around the hut again, her expression curious and cheerful. "This is pretty amazing."

"Er... not really," he grunted, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. Maybe because of the way she'd said it.

"Yes it is!" Kagome insisted. She turned back to look at him with inquisitive eyes. "Is this how it's always been for you?"

He searched her face for the smallest sign of fear or distress. When he found none he reluctantly nodded. "Except new moons at least."

For some inexplicable reason, her eyes lit up at his words and she started to push herself to her knees.

"H-Hey! what are you-"

"The moon!" she interrupted, looking excitedly toward the covered window. "I want to see it!"

"Wha- right NOW?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course right now!" The girl released his hand and started to her feet. "It's night time isn't it?"

He watched her with an uncertain demeanor, his hands raised slightly as if contemplating reaching out and stopping her.

And sure enough, she'd barely gotten onto her second foot and started to rise before the first buckled beneath her and she stumbled forward with a soft gasp.

Instantly he was on his knees reaching out. He caught her mid-tumble and pulled her to the safety of his chest with his arms wrapped around her. She clung to him, her sharp startled breaths pervading the air.

"Stupid!" he scolded. "In case you forgot, you're goddamn injured!"

"I-I'm fine, it doesn't hurt," she argued softly.

"That doesn't mean anything, you idiot!" Inuyasha's arms wrapped around her more securely. "No human on earth can just walk off a stab to the chest. Even with my healing ability helping you've still gotta be careful!"

"I'm sorry'" she replied after a moment. "I didn't mean to worry you Inuyasha." She stayed still a moment longer, then pushed gently against his chest until, reluctantly, he allowed her to pull away. She looked up and smiled meekly. "I'm fine really. I just got a bit lightheaded."

Once more she started to her knees, but this time his grip on her shoulders stopped her. "You're sure?" he asked hesitantly. "That's really all it is?"

She blinked at the concern she heard in his voice but inclined her head calmly. "I'm really okay. I mean it. I just got up too suddenly after being in bed all day."

He stared at her searchingly. The slightest sign of discomfort or pain and he was prepared to bully her back to bed. But she didn't _seem_ to be lying.

After a moment of indulging him, she tugged at his sleeve, her deep blue eyes penetrating his hopefully. "Come on Inuyasha, I _really_ want to see the moon with you. I bet it's so much more beautiful now."

Still, he hesitated. On one hand, he didn't like the idea of letting Kagome overexert herself or letting her be seen before she'd recovered. But on the other hand, she seemed so enthusiastic about her new eyesight. Something he'd have thought any normal human might have rejected or been frightened of...

Maybe it shouldn't have surprised him that Kagome would just see it as something exciting. It also didn't escape his notice that she'd tagged on the words "with you" to her request. How the hell was he supposed to say "no" to her when she asked him like _that_? Inuyasha looked from Kagome's pleading expression over to the door.

He was still extremely glad Miroku and Kaede had seen fit to leave the door's seal off so that he and Kagome wouldn't have to shout down the hill every time they needed to go out to use the bushes. But in the current predicament, he sort of wished he had SOME kind of excuse to fall back on.

The half-demon gave an unwilling sigh and turned back to face her. "Fine. but _I'm_ carrying you, so no overdoing it. And when I say it's time to go back, then it's time to go back. Got it?"

She seemed to consider his terms and then without too much hesitation nodded. Inuyasha snorted and gently wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her legs and lifted her up easily.

* * *

In minutes, Inuyasha had them both perched on the wooden roof of the hut with her situated at his side. He glared out at the village, practically daring some unfortunate soul to wander outside and happen to see them. Regardless of whether they would have really deserved a scare, he was more than ready to deliver one to the first moron who so much as cast his miko a look of confusion.

Kagome herself sat looking up at the growing crescent moon just as still and quiet as promised. In fact, the longer they sat there the more her silence started to worry him. Usually, when they stargazed together, they spent the time talking. Having her sit quietly not saying a word was a bit disconcerting.

He hesitantly nudged her a little. "Kagome?"

She didn't look away from the sky.

"I suddenly feel like maybe... I've never really seen the moon before," she whispered in quiet awe.

Inuyasha's ears twitched up in surprise then he blinked and looked up as well. It wasn't as if he'd ever had a chance to see the moon on his human nights. So for him, this was pretty much how it always looked. It's bright white surface haloed in a blue and golden light, with all it's shadows perfectly defined, even its dark side. And scattered all around, the stars showed their subtle colors of red, orange, gold, white, and blue.

On new moons, the sky was just black or blue with white dots. But to him, THAT was odd.

He glanced back to her awestruck face, wondering what it must feel like to see it this way for the very first time.

"The whole SKY looks so different," she murmured."I never imagined there could be so many colors."

Then she surprised him by turning to beam a smile at him that could have melted snow. "Thank you for bringing me up here Inuyasha, it's more beautiful than I could have imagined."

Inuyasha felt something tighten in his chest a little more. There was something about seeing her smile like that that made him wonder how many more of her smiles he was going to see before the humans crushed all the happiness from her.

Half of him wanted to just _let_ her be happy about this if only to ease his own guilt. But the other half latched onto his nightmare, onto the look on her face when she'd realized what her life was going to be now. The pain... The despair...

He looked away from her. "You shouldn't be thanking me," he whispered abruptly.

Kagome's soft expression vanished, quickly morphing into a look of surprise. "What?"

The tightness in his chest clenched. His ears flattened against his head in abject misery. "You should be fucking **cursing** me," he murmured in a tight voice.

The girl straightened up with a look of outrage. "Why would I **ever** want to curse you?!" she demanded, instantly provoked on his behalf. "In case you forgot, I'm alive because of you!"

"You were fucking **tortured** because of me!" he snarled.

Every lingering trace of the peaceful atmosphere from before was shattered in an instant. "You were _screaming_ for me," he continued, voice choked with emotion. " _Begging_ me to come save you and I fucking **failed**!"

The look of outrage disappeared as Kagome's eyes widened. "...You saw?" she breathed in horrified realization. " The memory? You... You had to _watch_?"

The worry in her voice made him feel more miserable than ever. But he couldn't help finally saying something. From the first moment he'd woken up yesterday, he had thought of almost nothing else.

"I should'a been there protecting you like I promised," he confessed hopelessly. "You shouldn't have had to go through all that, least of all for ME." He lowered his head. "Then after all you did to protect me I went and brought you back as a **_hanyou_** ," he spat the last word bitterly. "People are gonna look _down_ on you for it, they'll treat you like a fucking _monster_ for it. Do you have any CLUE what your life's gonna be like now because of how god damn _SELFISH_ I am?"

"Selfish?" she echoed softly, reaching out to brush aside a strand of silky white hair that was blocking his face from view.

His guilt welled to a head at her expression of worry and her tone of innocent confusion. But it was her touch that somehow pushed the next words past his lips.

"I was _relieved_ when I found out you'd become hanyou," he admitted shamefully. Her fingers paused and then withdrew completely. "To hell with being _normal_ and growing old like the others. To hell with **everything** else." His voice grew almost imperceptible. "I just wanted you with me, _forever_."

"Sit."

Kagome said it softly, like she was holding back tears.

The sharp sudden pain as he was flung to the hard slanted surface of the roof and then rapidly pulled by gravity to the ground below did nothing to dull his rapidly forming thoughts.

Kagome was finally punishing him just like he'd expected her to, but it didn't make him feel any better. Not if she was going to _cry_ over it.

Inuyasha felt he should have known better than to go opening his damn mouth. She'd been just _fine_ with everything not a minute ago and in a moment of weakness he'd had to go and say every stupid thing he could think of.

But the fact of the matter was he knew he couldn't just pretend things were going to be okay. He couldn't sit there and act like turning her hanyou wasn't about the worst possible thing he could have done to her.

Did she regret falling for him in the first place now that she knew how selfish he really was? Did she hate him? If she did, would she still go through with the plan to mate him regardless? Kagome wasn't the type to let herself be threatened into doing something she didn't want to do, even to save her own life.

Or would she begrudgingly allow the binding and then send him away? Or perhaps she would simply never acknowledge him as her mate? Treating him the way she always had, as a companion and nothing more?

Would she ever even _speak_ to him again? Would she ever treat his wounds or let him hold her again? Would she ever hold his hand again? How could anything ever be normal between them after this? Why'd he have to go and open his DAMN-

"Feel better?" interrupted a cheerful voice from somewhere above him.

Slowly the spell eased its grip a little and he lifted his head to stare up at her in wide-eyed confusion. Kagome was leaning over the edge of the roof with her messy black hair hanging down in her face and over her shoulders, smiling. He stared in disbelief.

"I can keep going if you want," she told him almost playfully.

He didn't get it at all. Shouldn't she look angry or disgusted with him? She'd SAT him, hadn't she? Why the hell was she grinning?

"...I don't..." he started uncertainly. "Why'd you..?"

"Because that's what you wanted right?" Kagome answered simply. "For me to punish you?"

He blinked at her in surprise. But she just continued to smile, something in her expression all too knowing, and far too forgiving.

Then there was a sudden shuffling noise from the closest hut followed by a voice that made her look up, breaking their eye contact and snapping him back to the situation at hand. He had to get them both back inside before people saw her. The last thing they needed right now was an angry mob before Kagome was ready. They could sort this out in a minute.

Fighting the last effects of the spell, Inuyasha shoved himself upright and leapt back to the roof, gathering Kagome up into his arms. She reached for him expectantly, as if nothing had changed. He frowned and dropped them both down in front of the door, stepping inside and firmly sliding it shut behind them.

There was a beat of tension where he stood with his back to the wood, rigid as a living shield between Kagome and the villagers. He listened hard as the soft sounds of two or three humans approached, and held his breath as they seemed to stop in front of the hut.

The light from their candles and lanterns glowed faintly from just behind the curtain.

They stood there a moment, apparently in contemplation, then sighed and grumbled before turning to walk away. From their reactions, he concluded that he'd left a good sized imprint in the ground from his fall. They probably correctly assumed he and Kagome'd just had a nighttime spat.

When the area settled into quiet once more, he slowly set Kagome down on her feet. She was unsteady for a moment but even after she'd caught her balance she remained exactly where he'd placed her holding onto his forearms and looked up expectantly. He quickly glanced away from her.

"How'd you know?" he asked quietly.

"Well you didn't make it that hard to figure out the way you were dragging yourself over the coals up there," she answered. When he made no reply, her voice gentled. "Besides... I know you."

One of her hands released his arm to reach upward. Her fingers brushed across his cheek and pushed aside a lock of long white hair. "Did you _really_ think I would blame you for what happened? After everything you did to save me?"

"I failed you," he reminded her in a soft miserable voice.

Kagome shook her head. "No, If you'd failed me, I'd be lying dead in a forest somewhere right now," she pointed out bluntly. "You found me, didn't you? You helped me lower a barrier I had no control over. Then you rushed me here and gave me a piece of your soul, even when you found out the cost…"

Her voice grew soft. "Not to mention you apparently had to watch some of my worst memories, including me being tortured. ...You went through a lot to bring me back. Don't act like that's nothing."

"You did MORE for me," he replied in an equally soft voice. "No matter how bad it got, you didn't breathe a word to them about me."

"I don't really remember much about that night," she admitted openly, "But I _know_ I didn't do anything you _wouldn't_ have. And we both know you'd sooner jump off a _cliff_ than betray me or anyone else to _Naraku_."

"I betrayed you by making you hanyou," Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome went quiet again. Her expression serious and searching. He stared pointedly at the floor.

"I'll admit," she said softly, "when you first told me I would become hanyou and that you were going to give up Kikyo for me... I was terrified."

His shoulders tensed up at those words and his eyes became hard, but he said nothing.

"I mean... Before all this happened, you always made me think you were going to be with Kikyo in the end. And sometimes you really went out of your way to show you weren't interested in me. And for a long time I believed it," Kagome explained.

Inuyasha bitterly thought of his own ugly words that had been carved into her flesh only too recently. _'Shard detector, weak, ugly…_ '

Kagome carried on, unaware of his silent self-loathing. "For all I know, you could have just told me you wanted to stay so I'd go along with the mating thing quietly."

He instantly bristled at the thought. His fists clenching and his face contorting in anger.

"Then you could always abandon me after my life was no longer in danger and run off with Kikyo."

"I would NEVER do that!" he snapped furiously.

"Or more likely," she continued, ignoring his outburst, "you could have lied about being over Kikyo but are still prepared to sacrifice your own happiness for mine... _That_ I could see you doing."

A second time he opened his mouth to vehemently deny her words but this time he was stopped at her smile. Far from seeming upset or angry, she just beamed up at him with that familiar warm look that seemed to imply some hidden knowledge.

"But... either way I thought about it, I had a feeling I was wrong. Like... Something in me _knew_ better. And... I decided to believe in that feeling. I trust you Inuyasha. So if you say you no longer have feelings for Kikyo... a-and that you want to stay with me, then there's nothing else to worry about." Kagome blushed shyly and her voice softened ever so slightly but she didn't look away. "I-I'm GLAD I won't die before you!" she told him, blushing harder now, "I'm GLAD I get to stay with you and be your mate!" her voice dropped to a timid mumble but still her eyes stayed locked with his. "Whatever else happens... please trust that."

At her words, the knot in his gut finally eased and a feeling of lightness took its place, expanding until it filled his chest.

And to his own deep surprise, for the first time since they'd woken up from their enchanted sleep, he found himself staring into Kagome's altered eyes and felt no guilt. He stood transfixed, marveling in their color, the same bright blue they'd always been. Just a little brighter. The emotions that swam in their depths as openly displayed as ever.

Inuyasha found himself leaning down, his left hand reaching out to cup her cheek. His heart starting to race as his fingers brushed gently over soft smooth skin. At the contact, her eyes widened even as his half closed.

It was like something had finally shifted between them. Looking at each other, everything that had held them apart until now suddenly seemed so trivial. Traveling and fighting demons, the jewel, Kikyo, The attack, the spell, All of it.

It all just… fell away.

Slowly, almost reverently, Kagome returned the gesture, reaching up with both her hands to touch each side of his face.

But she'd barely grazed his skin before he smiled ever so slightly and leaned down to close the gap between their lips.

Her eyes fluttered completely closed at the sensation. And her hands, seeming to forget their original intentions, slid back to entangle themselves in his hair. He too closed his eyes completely and felt a tremendous satisfaction as she rose on the tips of her toes to better reach, tilting her head a little and pulling her lips away for a fraction of a second before returning the kiss anew. He followed her lead blissfully, their kisses growing a little more bold with each reunion.

Then Kagome opened her mouth oh so slightly and Inuyasha thought he would lose his goddamn mind as her tongue timidly brushed across his bottom lip. The intimate sensation combined with her taste made him utter a low moan and open his mouth wider for her, eager in his response, his kisses growing more ardent by the second until they'd reached a fevered pitch.

Their hands were no longer content to stay in one fixed place. Kagome's reached up to stroke and rub his ears and Inuyasha's left abandoned her cheek to run down the side of her neck and over her shoulder, unthinkingly pushing aside her borrowed kisode as he went, savoring the feel of her bare skin under his fingers.

His right hand had found the small of her back and was starting to pull her insistently against his heated body.

But that was a mistake. No sooner had he pressed her chest tight against his than he heard her make a sharp hiss of pain and push away to clutch at the wound beneath her breast.

Realizing with a start that he'd forgotten her injury, he drew back as though burned. He stared down at her breathlessly. "You okay?!" he panted, his voice thick with concern.

But to the half demon's surprise, and despite the lingering traces of pain on her face, Kagome was laughing. "I-I can't believe we got so carried away!" she giggled in an equally breathless voice, her eyes were shining as she spoke.

Despite himself, Inuyasha smiled a little in return, leaning forward to press his forehead against hers and release a breath of relief.

"I think… I'm tired," he murmured a little reluctantly. Kami knew he would have liked to have gone on kissing Kagome like that forever, but now clearly wasn't the time.

"Alright," Kagome answered, though he still heard a hint of laughter in her voice. She took one of his hands in hers and tugged him toward the bed. "Let's go back to sleep. But no more nightmares okay?"

Inuyasha released a snort of laughter then replied, "Don't think I need to worry about that anymore."

* * *

Edited by: Mustard Yellow Sunshine

Art by: Grapefruitwannabe

Author's note

I can't believe how hard this chapter was for me to do. And unfortunately, I **still** haven't finished the very last chapter of this like I wanted to. FOUR freaking months of hard work and I'm not done yet. Makes me wonder if I'm tackling this the right way.

Normally I go back and forth between my stories more as I work. Stopping to read other things doesn't hurt much either. But for this chapter, I focused on bulldozing my way through the problem areas instead of setting the story aside until inspiration struck.

usually, that's my process with THBW too but this story wasn't having it.

Next, I guess I'll do a chapter of THBW before I can finish this off for good. But we'll see.


End file.
